Are you curious to know how long you are likely to live? Do you want to know how your health, living habits, and family history might affect your life expectancy? If you could increase your chances of living a longer life, say to 100, would you want to know what steps might be necessary to make that a reality?
There are some factors we cannot change, such as family history. But many more are within our control. If the answer to any of the questions above was “yes,” read on!
Since 1980, the average life expectancy of men and women living in the United States has increased from 70 years of age to today’s average of nearly 80. Many people are remaining active and living longer, often into their late 80s. Dr. Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP is the founder and director of the New England Centenarian Study (NECS). Since 1995, NECS has been studying centenarians (age 100+). First as a population-based study within the Boston area and then expanding to what’s become the largest comprehensive study of centenarians in the world. Identifying what it takes to age well is a goal that Dr. Perls has devoted many years to. And centenarians represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. Since 1994, the prevalence rate has jumped from 1 per 10,000 to 1 per 6,000. In 2010, there were about 80,000 centenarians in the United States alone. You can visit Boston University School of Medicine’s website for more fascinating facts.
The Life Expectancy Calculator was developed by Dr. Perls as an expansion of the questions he and Harvard Scientist Margery Hutter Silver set out to answer when they launched the study, and later when they compiled what they learned as they probed beyond disease to identify the parameters of an energetic later life. In their book, Living to 100: Lessons in Living To Your Maximum Potential At Any Age, they emphasize the importance of understanding how it is that centenarians age well as the key for us all to maximize the healthy portion of our own lifespan.
Set aside the 10 minutes it takes to complete the calculator. Answering 40 quick questions related to your health and family history may be the first step to a longer, healthier life. Once completed, you’ll receive personalized feedback for each of your answers, a “to-do” list for you and your physician, and maybe most important of all, a list of things you could do differently (and how many years you might add if you did).