On December 15, the final part of the trilogy about Spider-Man, a young superhero, who this time is forced not only to save the world from villains, but also to go through an identity crisis, was released. How will this affect his future life? And what does regular physical activity and strong social connections mean for the health of superheroes?
Do you want to stay healthy not only in the foreseeable future, but also in older age? Rhetorical question: of course you do. But what is needed for this? Is it possible at all, with the current ecology and socio-economic problems? And if you also do not have the best “genetic inheritance” …
Alas, you really can’t argue with genetics and the environment, and yet there is something that we can influence. To study these factors, a group of Australian researchers watched 24 Marvel movies released from 2008 to 2021, from Iron Man to Black Widow.
They assumed that all heroes (with the exception of Thor – he has lived for several millennia and is actually a god) will age and that their individual aging trajectory will depend on their personality traits – like any of us.
To start, scientists studied the healthy habits of superheroes
Most of them lead an active lifestyle and exercise regularly, which gives them a chance for healthy aging; in addition, they mostly have strong and close bonds with others, which is known to reduce the risk of dementia.
In addition, many superheroes have a positive and optimistic view of the world, the ability to recover from psychological trauma, and a sense of clear purpose – all of which are also traditionally associated with healthy aging. Moreover, superheroes, except for Thor and Iron Man, do not abuse alcohol and smoking, which is definitely good.
Next, the researchers looked at bad habits and risk factors. These included regular exposure to loud noises (presumably explosions and other destruction), air pollution and systematic head injuries. All this, alas, increases the chances of superheroes developing dementia and getting injuries that lead to limited mobility.
Separately, scientists studied the personality traits and healthy habits of five heroes: Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man and Black Panther. They came to the conclusion – who would have thought! – that Iron Man and Black Panther are distinguished by high intelligence and a high level of well-being, which reduces the risk of developing dementia. The ruler of Wakanda is also a vegetarian, which is also good for healthy aging.
But things are not so rosy for the Hulk and the Black Widow
The former has heart problems, a high body mass index (BMI) and anger issues, while the latter has traumatic childhood experiences that increase the risk of developing physical and mental illnesses. The fact that some of the heroes of the cinematic universe are no longer alive, scientists have bypassed …
As for Spider-Man, everything is ambiguous here. On the one hand, he is strong, flexible and spends a lot of time outdoors. On the other hand, he fights evil at night, which means, most likely, he does not get the 8-10 hours of sleep required at his age. Sooner or later, this can lead to the development of psychological problems and obesity, not to mention potential workplace injuries.
In conclusion, the authors of the study note that it is, of course, commendable that Marvel superheroes care about maintaining peace in the universe, creating artificial intelligence and developing technologies that will allow us to move in space and time, but it would be nice if their focus was there were other problems too.
For example, providing the population of the earth with access to quality medical and social care, as well as preventing dementia and other diseases. “After all, superheroes are people too, and it would be good for them to think about healthy old age – their own and someone else’s.”