The Myths of Longevity

In this Dan Buettner keynote, the world traveler and writer for National Geographic focuses on longevity, the myths surrounding it and introduces the concept of 'Blue Zones.' He begins his speech by sharing some fascinating statistics. Only ten percent of how long a human lives is actually dictated by his or her genes; the other 90 percent is dependent on lifestyle decisions made throughout someone's life.

He then reveals that only one in 5,000 Americans lives to 100-years-old. He explains how the human body is not programmed for longevity, but for procreative success. It is a waste of time and money when humans try to slow down, stop or reverse the effects of aging.

While the average life expectancy in the United States is around 78 and slightly higher for women, there are places in the world known as Blue Zones. In Blue Zones, members of communities are more likely than not to reach the age of 100 and live an extremely active lifestyle.

Buettner provides a interesting and thought-provoking discussion on the human body and its journey throughout time.