National Geographic magazine asked 1,000 American adults a tough question: What would you give up for an extra decade of living in good health? Would you part with your favorite food, or booze, or coffee, or maybe even your spouse? With 10 extra years of the good life on the line, what would you sacrifice to get it?
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Oh, hello Beautiful People, Rally Preston here. Got just a fun one for you today. Light and breezy.
So I saw this new survey the other day about what Americans think about growing old.
This one was commissioned by National Geographic – the magazine. And they surveyed about a thousand Americans – all different ages from all over the nation, 18 years and up.
And this survey centered around one basic question. And here it is: What would you be willing to give up to get more healthy years? Some of the answers surprised me. Some didn’t. So let’s see what you think about this.
Alright, here’s the first question…
Would you rather live a long time, even if the last stretch got kind of rough? Or, have a little less time, but you get to stay sharp and spry the whole way? How would you answer that?
Well here’s the survey results: two out of three people picked living a shorter and healthier life, over a longer but frailer one. So a shorter but healthier life wins here.
Now that tells me most of us aren’t chasing some crazy number on a birthday cake. We just want good years. Years where we can still enjoy life in good health.
Now there’s more…
So then they asked, okay, what would you trade away for 10 extra healthy years? You know, what would you give up for an extra decade of good health? And this is where it gets fun.
About a third said they’d give up alcohol. For good. For an added ten healthy years
And they didn’t stop with the booze. Around 20% would give up sugar and caffeine.
And social media – would you give that up for an extra 10 healthy years? And you know, 20% said they could ditch it completely. Ten more good years for no scrolling? I bet all of us older adults would take that one – but you’ve got to remember this is an all-ages survey, so the younger ones saw that as a real hand-wringer, I’m sure.
But here’s where most folks drew the line…
Could you give up your favorite food? Hmmm? Well, only about 15% said they would.
How about your car? Nope, only 13% said they would. And get this: only about 9% said they’d leave their relationship for 10 extra healthy years. So, good news, your spouse probably made the cut — be sure and tell them how lucky they are!
Now here’s a fun one for our crowd here. Only 16% said they’d put off retirement to get 10 more healthy years. Which, sounds about right to me. I don’t know too many Silver Beasties excited to grind away even longer. My dad always said hard work never killed anybody, but I’m thinking now, why take the chance?
Now, the article also got into some pretty wild science. You can read all about it in the September Nat Geo. But they’ve got stuff in there like reprogramming your cells, or swapping out old organs for new ones, you know, that kind of thing. Sounds a little weird-sciency to me. But you know, I bet there’s a lot more of that coming with, you know, AI and all.
And according to the survey, some folks were open to trying that kind of stuff, if it worked and it was safe. But most people said – go slow. Be careful. Don’t rush into it. Which, honestly, feels like good old-fashioned common sense to me. So maybe there’s hope for us yet.
Now there’s more. Here’s one…
So there’s always been this discussion, or debate, I guess you could say, about if aging should be considered a disease that should be treated, or is aging just a natural process, you know, of life? And the survey says: Just 9% thought aging is a problem to fix. So I guess the vast majority of us, Americans anyway, just want to age well. On our own terms. You know, do what we can naturally to slow it down of course, but mainly, just enjoy the ride.
So here’s my hot take on all this. I think the real headline in this survey here is that most people, aren’t asking for forever. They just want good years, healthy years. Years that count. Where they can still chase a grandkid around the yard, or embarrass themselves dancing at a wedding, or, I don’t know, argue over the thermostat setting with somebody they love.
And here’s the thing, Beasties. It doesn’t take much to go after that. You’re already doing it, every time you take a walk, eat a healthy meal, call up an old friend, or say yes to something social instead of your standard no.
And maybe it’s those kind of things that are the best longevity treatment. The little things we can do for ourselves that add up to a healthier life. You know, a reason to get up every morning, and a few good friends. That’s what it’s all about for me.
So this National Geographic survey is just people’s opinions, all ages, all walks of life, here in the good ole US of A. And it’s just a fun little window into what we’re all kind of thinking right now about getting older.
So I want to leave you with this one last thing….
If somebody asked you this question, right now…
You can have 10 extra healthy years, guaranteed. Now what would you be willing to give up to get it?
That’s something fun to think about.
I’d happily give up paying taxes for 10 years – huh? Who’s with me?
Alright, that’s it Beasties. Go live all the years ahead of you like they matter, because, of course, they do. I’ll see you next time on the Silver Beast Podcast – take care!