Academic Summaries: Effects of Increased Longevity

Sought after for centuries, immortality may be more attainable than previously thought. For years scientists have been studying the causes of aging and looking for ways to slow, or even halt, the process. Some believe molecular biology holds the answer to this problem. While success has been observed in a variety of model organisms, applications in human experiments have yet to occur. Ethical concerns and the effects on society must be considered when dealing with experiments of this nature. Because of this, true immortality remains a far-off achievement. Although immortality is not yet within reach, increasingly longer lifespans are. As people continue to live longer, potentially to the point of being ageless, human beings will face social and health challenges that they must respond to in order to maintain a high standard of living.

 

The Summaries

The article “Toward Immortality: The Social Burden of Longer Lives” written by Ker Than and published by Purch, Inc. on May 22, 2006, presents the possible consequences of extending human life. Than uses the opinions of professionals such as psychologist Richard Kalish and Chris Hackler, the head of the Division of Medical Humanities at the University of Arkansas, to explain that views on marriage and family would change as multiple marriages and half-siblings become common (Than, par. 17-20). Than also uses opinions of bioethicist Daniel Callahan to suggest the workplace would fundamentally change through careers becoming longer and competition for jobs increasing (par. 22, 25). According to Than, Callahan believes these changes would cause stagnation in corporations and universities as well (par. 28).

 

The 2010 article “How Will the Longevity Boom Impact Our World?” written by Regina B. Wheeler and published by Everyday Health Media, LLC, identifies some effects that will result from humanity’s increasing average life span. Wheeler reveals data that indicates the human population is aging (par. 2-6). She addresses the problem of overpopulation, claiming, “Most of the population increase will take place in less developed countries and will be concentrated among the poorest people living in cities” (Wheeler, par. 8). Wheeler’s other concerns about the consequences of increased longevity are also health related.  She asserts health care costs, the demand for health care professionals, and the rates of chronic illness will all rise (Wheeler, par. 12, 14, 16). Further analysis reveals the strain on poorer nations will be greater than others as they deal with both chronic illnesses and infectious diseases simultaneously (Wheeler, par. 13). Despite these potential problems, Wheeler believes that both individuals and the state can work toward improving the quality of these added years by maintaining healthy lifestyles and implementing programs for seniors and disease management (par. 17-18).

 

The article “How to Make the Most of Longer Lives” by Marc Freedman was published on May 31, 2015, by Dow Jones & Company. In the article, Freedman proposes possible means of improving people’s later years as life expectancy increases. Freedman claims that establishing a new identity for the period of time in which most people have typically retired is the first step in this process (par. 7). Freedman believes schools better tailored to these individuals may help prepare them for the future by providing skills to be utilized in the workplace and in new careers (par. 21, 24). Beyond education and work, financing these years is another problem that Freedman addresses by suggesting the use of financial service companies or Social Security (par. 27-30). Lastly, bringing generations together and directing new innovations at this age group would, according to Freedman, have a positive effect on the overall quality of life during this time (par. 31, 36-39).

 

The article, “Will 100 Become the New 50? Rising Longevity and Its Impact on Society” published August 23, 2011 by ParisTech Review focuses on the causes of increased longevity and the quality of these later years. The article reveals that between 2001 and 2011 the mortality rate dropped annually according to the Centers for Disease Control (Will 100 Become). Analysis of a number of major diseases including cancer, heart diseases, and influenza all showed falling death rates (Will 100 Become). The article claims scientific advancements as well as collaboration between medical professionals and others such as engineers and physicists are the most significant causes of longer human lives (Will 100 Become). Examples such as nanotechnology and the work being done by Abdul I. Barakat to produce stents are used to support these claims (Will 100 Become). The article also speculates on the quality of life in these later years. Concerns about whether individuals will be able to remain healthy or not as they age are raised, while retirement is also addressed with the assessment that individuals would no longer be able to leave work in their sixties (Will 100 Become). The final major concerns of the article are related to social security and health care, as costs continue to rise and strain society (Will 100 Become).   

 

Health Challenges

As human longevity increases, numerous health-related obstacles will arise. Both developed and undeveloped nations will face challenges, but the poorer countries will face a much more difficult situation. Chronic disease will become more prevalent as humans live longer, further escalating its contribution as a major cause of death (Wheeler, par. 12). According to Olivia S. Mitchell, a professor of insurance and risk management, “by age sixty-five almost nine out of ten of us can expect to have some kind of chronic condition” (qtd. in Will 100 Become). Some of these diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, are predicted to double every twenty years (Wheeler, par. 12). “Poorer nations will feel the full burden brought on by disease, contending with both increasingly common chronic diseases and parasitic diseases that will continue be a leading cause of death (Wheeler, par. 13). Individuals may be able to avoid chronic illness altogether by simply maintaining a healthy lifestyle (Wheeler, par. 18). To guarantee some level of success, broader action will be necessary.

 

Governments around the world will need to take their own course of action to maintain a worthwhile standard of living for their citizens. For people to receive a better understanding about their own illnesses, communities can put forth “health and wellness initiatives ... to teach people how to better manage disease” (Than, par. 17). Societies can also work to train and employ a sufficient number of health care professionals to deal with health problems such as these, as well as the general health of the growing population. For example, it is estimated that within the next fifteen years over 35,000 geriatric doctors will be needed in the United States to care for the aging members of the population, far more than are currently practicing (Wheeler, par. 14). Aging nations often have higher medical spending, as evidenced in the United States where over fifteen percent of the GDP goes toward medical costs (Will 100 Become). Because of this, funding health care for the elderly as well as the construction of assisted living facilities will also become a principal concern for many countries (Wheeler, par. 15-16). Both of these issues will likely require increased government spending, and therefore increased taxes, but they will be beneficial in allowing senior citizens to continue to live in a manner that they enjoy. Aside from these serious health concerns, perhaps the most glaring health problem humans will face is overpopulation.

 

Overpopulation

As the population continues to climb, areas will become considerably overcrowded. The majority of the growth will occur in the cities of poorer countries, inflating the population in these places (Wheeler, par. 8). Nations will be forced to take measures to ensure a high level of sanitation or risk the spread of disease and infection among the people (Wheeler, par. 8). If improved sanitation is achieved, these countries can turn this situation into something positive. Expanding cities and their infrastructure to accommodate the greater number of people combined with healthier conditions would be a promising start toward creating a well developed country. As these nations are poor, volunteers and aid from other countries would likely be necessary but could go a long way in at least mitigating a potential disaster. While overpopulation and other health-related problems will be significant, they are not the only challenges humans will face due to increased longevity.

 

Social Changes

Marriage and family structure will undergo significant changes as humans continue to live longer. Psychologists and others who study humanities support ideas of family and marriage experiencing dramatic changes. One such psychologist, Richard Kalish, believes people will no longer be part of single, lifetime marriages, but instead several shorter marriages (Than, par. 17). Family structure will change as a result. Stepsiblings and half siblings will become common, with the possibility of decades separating these siblings, further impacting how families interact (Than, par. 19-20). These changes are not necessarily obstacles or negative results but rather subtle differences between a transforming society and currently accepted norms. People will still need to adapt to this new culture, which may be difficult, but with time and eventual familiarity, people will become accustomed to these changes to the point that they are a standard part of society. At the same time that marriage and family structure are changing, the workplace will also be evolving.

 

The workplace will become a competition between the young and elderly. Whether due to the elderly switching careers or maintaining the same one for many years, these age groups will fight for the same jobs and positions (Than, par. 23, 25). As people live longer, careers will also become longer out of necessity to fund a later retirement (Than, par. 22). Bioethicist Daniel Callahan believes that as careers become more extensive, and older workers with greater experience retain the same positions for extended periods of time, younger workers will suffer: "If you have people staying in their jobs for one hundred years, that is going to make it really tough for young people to move in and get ahead" (qtd. in Than, par. 27). Universities, businesses, and even politics will likely become dominated by individuals keeping the same position for decades, preventing younger prospects from implementing new and innovative ideas (Than, par. 28-29). A stagnation like this could severely limit social progress in favor of the traditional views of the aging individuals that stay in power. If society is no longer able to progress due to the rejection or discouragement of new ideas, humanity as a whole will suffer. To avoid these damaging effects, term limits may need to be implemented for politicians and perhaps even professors while governments could attempt to increase job creation in order to reduce competition and enable younger workers to find employment. Those that reach their term limit would be forced to move on to new places or retire. While challenges such as these will be faced collectively by all humans, individual people will also be tasked with overcoming their own obstacles.

 

As individuals achieve longer lifespans, they will find themselves in unfamiliar situations to which they must respond. Aging individuals will enter a new chapter of life no longer associated with just retirement. This may prove to be overwhelming for some people as new challenges arise. These people may have difficulty keeping up with the times and maintaining success in their fields as they continue to work. Finding success in other careers may be even more difficult because of a perceived prejudice in the workplace toward inexperienced older workers (Will 100 Become). Creating suitable education opportunities for these adults where they can learn useful skills to stay current and competitive will allow these people to continue to work towards achieving their goals (Freedman, par. 21, 24; Will 100 Become). Financing these years will be a much different challenge. Financial service companies and Social Security are two possible resources to be used as individuals attempt to receive education for new careers or simply cover the costs of these added years (Freedman, par. 27-30). However, these services are already significantly strained, meaning they may be impractical for this purpose (Will 100 Become). If successful implementation of these programs to help pay for education does manage to occur, a large enough number of elderly people seeking aid could be problematic, as costs may prove to be too great. Regardless of the setbacks these individuals face, preparing properly in advance will help reduce or even eliminate the effects.

 

As human longevity increases, there will be a variety of social and health consequences for humans to contend with. Traditional lifetime marriages with nuclear families will become a thing of the past, as they are replaced by multiple shorter marriages and branching families of stepsiblings and half siblings. The workplace will also change as careers become longer and competition between the young and old intensifies. Job creation and term limits could help alleviate these pressures. Overcrowding and disease may become a serious problem for societies to resolve. Training a sufficient number of health care professionals and improving living conditions will help to deal with these diseases and a growing, aging population. Individual members of this aging population will also face challenges and be forced to establish an effective and stable identity in a new chapter of life.  Education and financial services can provide continued success for these people. Nations must work now to to create healthier environments for a growing population, train more health professionals, learn to adjust to potentially irreversible social shifts, and develop methods of funding beneficiary programs. If action is not taken now, humanity risks being overwhelmed in the future by these effects brought on by increased longevity.