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What is a “longevity mindset” and how to get there, says Singularity University founder and futurist Peter Diamandis
Scientists believe that life expectancy depends on many factors – genetics, human habits, lifestyle, quality of medicine, but Peter Diamandis, founder of Singularity University and the X-Prize Innovation Fund, is sure that an equally important key to longevity lies in the right mindset. In his blog, he talks about what a “longevity mindset” is and how to increase life expectancy by changing the mind.
Aging is a disease
We are told from everywhere that it is normal to grow old and die. Medical centers, government agencies, religious organizations are geared towards the idea that human life will inevitably end, and we will all die around 60-80 years old. Even if some lucky people manage to make it to 100, they are likely to end up in a wheelchair with Alzheimer’s to boot.
Diamandis, on the other hand, reminds us that a person is not initially programmed to live longer than 30 years. Theoretically, by this age he had already managed to pass on his genes to his descendants. Therefore, after 30, the body begins to weaken: organs function worse, significant cellular damage and disease appear – in fact, everything that we call aging occurs. But not only do people now not die at 30, many in these years are just beginning to live fully.
It turns out that aging is really a disease. The good news is that diseases, as you know, are cured: humanity has without much effort increased the life expectancy inherent in us by two to three times, you can imagine what will happen next. Especially in the modern world, where almost every day there are new developments aimed at extending life: gene sequencing, stem cells, various vaccines. And this is just the beginning, because we have not yet experienced the breakthrough that artificial intelligence and quantum computers will bring with them, capable of modeling molecular interactions inside cells in the future.
In the end, science will find a way to extend human life even more, but our task is not to die from something stupid in the interim. With such introductions, it remains only to choose the right attitude – to look at the world optimistically and focus on adding a few decades of healthy and happy life to yourself. This is the basis of “longevity thinking”.
Six ways to set yourself up for a long life
Often people do not attach importance to their thoughts, but simply take them for granted, but the visionary reminds us that we ourselves are able to shape our consciousness towards longevity every day. To do this, simply focus on six main areas.
1. What do you believe
Of course, life can be perceived as something short and especially valuable, consider yourself lucky if you managed to live to 75 years. Or you can convince yourself that 100 is the new 60 and actively monitor breakthrough discoveries in biotechnology that can slow or even reverse the “disease” of aging.
2. What information do you consume
It is important to keep track of what you read and watch: books, blogs, news, movies – all this forms a vision of life itself. Agree, there is a difference whether you read obituaries to find old friends there or, conversely, you are interested in books like Lifespan: Why We Get Old and Why It’s Not Necessary to Do It by Australian biologist and geneticist David Sinclair and study the latest discoveries in this area.
3. Your environment
The people you surround yourself with shape both you as a person and what you do. It is up to you to decide whether to associate with old people who constantly talk about death, or with unshakable optimists who strive for longevity and try in every possible way to prolong their youth.
4. Healthy sleep
Sleep is one of the most important and fundamental factors of longevity, and a healthy life in general. People need eight hours of sleep a night. If you are striving for longevity, it is clearly not worth sticking to the motto “we will sleep off in the next world” – instead, it is better to make a quality 8-hour sleep your priority, and at the same time read useful literature on this topic, for example, Matthew Walter’s book Why We Sleep.
5. What do you eat
Diamandis is sure that there is truth in the words “you are what you eat.” Ask yourself – do you eat whatever you want, when you want? Are you overweight? Are you consuming too much sugar? Or maybe you, on the contrary, watch your diet to stay energetic and healthy, try new diets, for example, a keto diet or intermittent fasting?
6. Physical activity
Along with all of the above factors, exercise is the basis of longevity. Recent research in this area has proven that increasing muscle mass plays an important role on the path to a long life. Therefore, physical activity must be present in your life – you can, for example, do interval and strength training three times a week.