Longevity gender gap shrinking

What's the news? A demographic study published earlier this month by scientists in Spain found that longevity is increasing worldwide, and that the longevity gap between men and women is shrinking.

Specifically, the study found that, in places with the highest life expectancies, such as the United States and Western Europe, the gap between men and women will go from 4.84 in 1990 to an estimated 3.4 years by 2030.

Good, bad or, bland? You might think this is good news, because we are all living longer. Or you might think it's bad news, because men still don't live as long as women. Or you might think it's no news at all, because the effect is small, even if it's moving in a positive direction.

Here's the part that got me: Nobody knows for sure why the longevity gender gap is there in the first place. But it probably has to do with smoking, alcohol-related deaths, or dangerous stunts designed to impress friends — all of which are disproportionately practiced by men.

In other words, longevity increases are often due to eliminating known harmful and risky behaviors. But since you read this newsletter, I imagine you already aim to live a sane and healthy life, and have eliminated many such behaviors already.

What does it mean for you: While population-level longevity statistics are slowly inching up, they say little about your odds of living long, which are probably much, much better than the general population — whether you are a man or a woman.