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Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition

Longevity

by Christopher J. Norman, , BA, BSN, RN-BC, BC

Also known as: Life span, life expectancy

Anatomy or system affected: All

Specialties and related fields: Gerontology, ethics, philosophy

Definition: A broad concept that encompasses the progressive biopsychosocial changes associated with advancing age. The average lifespan expected under ideal conditions.

Key term:

life expectancy: the average lifespan expected of a group

OVERVIEW

Lifespan or life expectancy are terms that are often used synonymously with longevity, although life expectancy is used more commonly when referring to demographics and population data, while longevity is a more philosophical term and perhaps less well-defined.

It has been speculated that with age comes wisdom: the culmination of years of experience, memories, and lessons learned informs a person’s perspective on life and what kind of legacy one wants to leave behind. Conversely, the process of aging also increases a person’s risk of dying: Many theories suggest that years of physical and emotional (internal), and environmental (external) influences render a person more susceptible to acute illness or the development of chronic disease. Today, modern medicine-pharmaceuticals, therapies, technology-has the capability to extend life well beyond previously held norms: The average life expectancy in the United States is eighty-one for women and seventy-six for men, and the eighty-five-year-old and older population is now the fastest growing population in much of the developed world. With the technological advances that have been made, it begs the relevant question: Can aging be cured? And if it can, should it?

The concept of longevity, the progression from birth to death, has been recognized by human beings for hundreds of years, but the ethical discussion of whether or not we should exercise the right to live as long as possible is a relatively new one. Charles Darwin, the English naturalist and major contributor to the theory of human evolution, would argue that death is the result of natural selection; a process that is expected and a natural happenstance when adverse events suffered outmatch the ability of the body to sustain life. Longevity has also been explored in fictional literature. Shakespeare often depicted a person’s life as a series of “roles” acted out on the societal stage, roles that are gradually lost as old age progresses until death finally arrives-the final act. Less metaphorically, Jonathan Swift’s popular novel Gulliver’s Travels relates the story of the Struldbrugs, a nation of humans that never die but still suffer the ravages of time and advancing age, eventually sightless, demented, crippled, as the body deteriorates but death never arrives-living but not living. While graphic and extreme, perhaps modern-day Struldbrugs can be identified in hospitals across the developed world as machines and technology are often utilized to sustain quantity of life but do little to preserve quality of life.

Further inquiry in the fields of population biology, psychology, ethics, and anthropology will undoubtedly lend new insights into the evolving concept of longevity.

See also Aging; Aging, Extended care; Chronobiology; Death and Dying; Developmental stages; Epidemiology; Euthanasia; Extended care; Geriatrics and gerontology; Hospice; Palliative medicine; Resuscitation; Terminally ill

For Further Information:

1 

Albert, Steven M., and Vicki A. Freedman. Public Health and Aging: Maximizing Function and Well-Being. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 2010.

2 

Moody, H.R. Aging: Concepts and Controversies. 6th ed. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2010.

3 

Thomas, William H. What Are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World. Acton, MA: Vanderwyk & Burnham, 2007.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Norman, Christopher J. "Longevity." Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition, edited by Anubhav Agarwal,, Salem Press, 2022. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=MMG2022_0823.
APA 7th
Norman, C. J. (2022). Longevity. In A. Agarwal, (Ed.), Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Norman, Christopher J. "Longevity." Edited by Anubhav Agarwal,. Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2022. Accessed September 16, 2025. online.salempress.com.