3 replies to this topic

[male_1978]

Guys, i am not 43 years old and i took resveratrol since i was 25 and nad+-Boosters since 5 years now. But even if i probably look some years younger and if i feel energized, i realize that i wanted something different which i will never get from it.


Being more honest to myself i realize that what i really wanted was to keep the sozial situation which i had when i was 25 as long as possible. Because this was the best time of my life. I felt free, i had a lot of relationships and experiences with young and pretty women, some as young as 18 years old. And i was part of a community of other young people. I went to students parties, i belonged there and i had overall a lot of fun. Age simply wasnt an issue at that time.
 

 

And the more time passed since then, the more i realize that anti-aging supplements are not able to preserve this state or get it back. The reason is that people think about others in age groups. Even if you look a lot younger, a 20-25 year old woman, her friends or parents will most likely behave differently once you tell them that you are over 40. And if you dont tell them, they will condider you dishonest which is not better. 

 

You wouldnt even have young friends which enjoy going on parties with you because many would find the idea of a 40 year old who wants to be like a 25 year old somehow scary, close to immoral in some cases. 

Even many events are organized for predefined age groups. There are students parties and there are Over-30-Parties. Dancing schools organize dance lessons for age groups, e.g. 40-50 in my case. And i am not even talking about online dating here where age is the primary search attribute.

And at the end, what is the benefit of looking and feeling younger? You still cant be it, because this is not what society expects from you. 

 

Or what do you expect from anti aging stuff? Stay young and live like a young person? Or "only" stay a bit more healthy?

[Mind]

Societal norms will change.

[caliban]

The point gets usually raised by 'rejuvenation 'sceptics' which may mean that our community doesn't want to dredge it up yet again - but I think its an interesting discussion.  

 

When I was younger, I was rather spooked when people referred casually to "the best years of their life", but I have learned to see what they mean in the context you describe. 

Empirically, describing ones college years as 'that time' has some support, probably for the reasons you describe, at least in 'western' societies:  

 

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Although it is important to point out that this is not automatic (some people are miserable in college, for some people the best years of their life are childhood, the years when they founded a company, where freshly in love or when they started retirement).   

When you actually ask people about their happiness there is an increase in older age. (Based on this, take heart- at your age you are currently at the very bottom of the typical life satisfaction curve.) 

 

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So obviously, happiness depends on social conditions - as does the construct of your "age group". But I don't think it is quite as easy as saying

 

Societal norms will change.

 

As long as there is social and technological progress (which we rely on for rejuvenation), there will be 'age clusters' set by shared experiences. If you go 'back to college' after 30 years it will be a different experience for you, even if no one treats you differently.    

 

But to address your question: I guess many members of the Immortality Institute know better than to "expect" much from "anti-aging stuff" but their goal is simple. Not to die. 

Others might have a less firm position, but here you have got to appreciate that at your age, 'social aging' has come before noticeable 'medical aging'.

Once biological aging becomes a more tangible drag on your quality of life, I guess the benefit of rejuvenation could become more apparent even if you still feel adversely affected by social ageism.       

[Mind]

The main aspect of "societal norms changing" is the grouping by age or generation. If we are successful in extending lives, then the relative difference between chronological age becomes somewhat less meaningful. 

 

With an 80 year lifespan, there is a big difference between someone who is 40 and someone who is 60. With a 400 year lifespan, the difference between someone who is 220 and 240 is less meaningful.