Place Can Extend Healthspan
Obsessed about healthspan? Don't forget about place.
Our society is becoming increasingly obsessed with healthspan, not necessarily lifespan. Healthspan is the duration of time one is in good health; lifespan is the amount of time we are simply alive.
The idea of living a long life in poor health is not terribly desirable for most of us. Nobel prize winner and best-selling author Daniel Kahneman was so concerned about his healthspan that he died by assisted suicide last year in Switzerland. He was 90. In his words:
I have believed since I was a teenager that the miseries and indignities of the last years of life are superfluous, and I am acting on that belief. I am still active, enjoying many things in life (except the daily news) and will die a happy man. But my kidneys are on their last legs, the frequency of mental lapses is increasing, and I am ninety years old. It is time to go.
It Doesn’t Have to be Too Complicated
Fear of a limited healthspan is driving people to act and companies to respond. For example, Peter Attia, a popular longevity physician advocating for a proactive approach to health and medicine, hosts The Peter Attia Drive podcast which has surpassed 100 million downloads, authored Outlive which has sold over 2 million copies and recently launched Biograph, a preventative health and diagnostics clinic which offers memberships starting at $7,500 annually. John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market, has launched Love.Life which offers a comprehensive approach to prevention and holistic well-being that combines nourishing food, evolved medical care and cutting-edge wellness therapies. An unlimited membership costs $50,000 per year.
The wearable market has exploded with a host of do-it-yourself options. The Apple Watch boasts many health & wellbeing features including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, activity tracking and more. The Oura ring is perceived as the gold standard in sleep tracking, offering daily diagnostic reports and suggestions to enhance the restorative potential of quality slumber.
It is good that there is a large and growing number of resources to extend healthspan, but it doesn’t have to be this complicated. This is the argument by Mohana Ravindranath in her recent NY Times piece “5 Science-Backed Longevity ‘Hacks’ That Don’t Cost a Fortune: You don’t need a $40,000 gym membership to live a longer, healthier life.” She highlights the value in simply working out, pursuing a healthy diet, aiming for seven solid hours of sleep (no tracker required) and training your brain to be more optimistic.
However, she misses one key area: place.
The Solution is Hiding in Plain Sight
Dan Buettner, researcher and creator of the Blue Zones, has been under some scrutiny recently for some of his research, but it is hard to argue against his core thesis: where you live matters.
Where you live significantly impacts your life expectancy due to a combination of social, environmental, economic, and healthcare factors. Areas with higher income, education levels, and employment opportunities tend to support longer lifespans. In contrast, disadvantaged neighborhoods often face higher stress, poor nutrition access, and lower-quality healthcare, all of which lower life expectancy. Clean air, green spaces, safe housing, and walkability contribute to physical activity and mental well-being. Areas with high pollution, noise, or industrial exposure can elevate risks for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
And don’t lose sight of the significance of how relationships are formed by place. Places with strong community networks—often found in tight-knit or culturally rooted regions—tend to report better mental health, lower isolation, and more successful aging.
Is Your Place Extending Your Healthspan?
Before you rush out and join the latest local longevity clinic or buy the latest wearable, take a moment to see if your place is helping you be as healthy as you would like. Does your place meet your physical, emotional & psychological needs? Is it nudging you to healthy lifestyles such as physical activity, healthy foods and quality sleep? Is it facilitating quality social interactions and friendships? Are your housing costs within your means?
If we are obsessed with increasing healthspans as a society and individuals, we’d be better served by creating better places (more parks for example) and making sure that we choose the right places for each stage of life. The decision is yours. Your healthspan may depend on it.