Despite the immigrant mortality advantage and the increasing share of the population born abroad, relatively little is known about how immigration has…

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.

Matt, Dara, Jerusalem, and German use Matt’s last Tuesday episode to discuss life expectancy in the US. They explore paternalistic policy decisions, the misnomer of “deaths of despair,” and the longevity of The Weeds. US life expectancy is compared to that of European and Asian nations, and the US numbers are disaggregated and examined up close.

Volume 44 (2021) - Article 52 | Pages 1271–1294

Objective To estimate changes in life expectancy in 2010-18 and during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 across population groups in the United States and to compare outcomes with peer nations. Design Simulations of provisional mortality data. Setting US and 16 other high income countries in 2010-18 and 2020, by sex, including an analysis of US outcomes by race and ethnicity. Population Data for the US and for 16 other high income countries from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Human Mortality Database, respectively. Main outcome measures Life expectancy at birth, and at ages 25 and 65, by sex, and, in the US only, by race and ethnicity. Analysis excluded 2019 because life table data were not available for many peer countries. Life expectancy in 2020 was estimated by simulating life tables from estimated age specific mortality rates in 2020 and allowing for 10% random error. Estimates for 2020 are reported as medians with fifth and 95th centiles. Results Between 2010 and 2018, the gap in life expectancy between the US and the peer country average increased from 1.88 years (78.66 v 80.54 years, respectively) to 3.05 years (78.74 v 81.78 years). Between 2018 and 2020, life expectancy in the US decreased by 1.87 years (to 76.87 years), 8.5 times the average decrease in peer countries (0.22 years), widening the gap to 4.69 years. Life expectancy in the US decreased disproportionately among racial and ethnic minority groups between 2018 and 2020, declining by 3.88, 3.25, and 1.36 years in Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White populations, respectively. In Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black populations, reductions in life expectancy were 18 and 15 times the average in peer countries, respectively. Progress since 2010 in reducing the gap in life expectancy in the US between Black and White people was erased in 2018-20; life expectancy in Black men reached its lowest level since 1998 (67.73 years), and the longstanding Hispanic life expectancy advantage almost disappeared. Conclusions The US had a much larger decrease in life expectancy between 2018 and 2020 than other high income nations, with pronounced losses among the Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black populations. A longstanding and widening US health disadvantage, high death rates in 2020, and continued inequitable effects on racial and ethnic minority groups are likely the products of longstanding policy choices and systemic racism. Data sharing: Requests for additional data and analytic scripts used in this study should be emailed to RKM (Ryan.Masters@colorado.edu).

The decline, which is the largest seen in a single year since World War II, reflects the pandemic’s sustained toll on Americans, particularly the disproportionate impact of covid-19 on communities of color.

An economic analysis suggests that targeting aging offers potentially larger economic gains than eradicating individual diseases. Slowing aging to increase life expectancy by 1 year is worth US$38 trillion, and by 10 years, US$367 trillion.

Listen to this episode from Psychologists Off the Clock on Spotify. In 2020, the global market for anti-aging products was estimated at US$52.5 Billion and is projected to reach US$83.2 Billion by 2027. Some of this market is certainly due to ageism, pseudoscience, and harmful marketing practices. However, ideas around aging (and the way it’s portrayed in media and marketing) seem to be changing for the better, and some anti-aging techniques are showing great promise. Dr. Andrew Steele, author of Ageless, has dedicated his professional career to identifying factors that age us. In this episode of Psychologists Off the Clock, he and Diana discuss the science behind why we grow old and the evidence-based approaches individuals of all ages can use to target those aging factors. Join us in this episode to learn basic strategies you can implement to inhibit the aging process and enhance your quality of life today! Listen and Learn: Diana and Debbie’s thoughts on the pseudoscience and fear that typically fosters ageism and the evidence-based approaches to healthy agingAndrew’s expert description of the humanitarian science of aging (and why it’s so important we study this right now!)Ten key factors that contribute to aging and evidence-based ways to target themWhat evolutionary neglect is and why we have evolved to grow oldAndrew’s expert explanation of senescent cells and practical advice for targeting them Basic strategies you can implement today to inhibit the aging process and enhance your quality of lifeNew and incoming interventions designed to increase telomere lengthThe psychological impacts of living longer The values underlying Andrew’s mission of building respectful, supportive communities for the elderlyEasy anti-aging practices young people can implement into their daily routine Resources: Andrew’s book, Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel’s book, The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer Attend Debbie’s webinar on ACT for Burnout!Grab your copy of all our favorite books at bookshop.org/shop/offtheclockpsych.Check out Debbie, Diana, Yael, and Jill’s websites to access their offerings, sign up for their newsletters, buy their books, and more!  Dr. Andrew Steele About Andrew Steele: After obtaining a PhD in physics from the University of Oxford, Dr. Andrew Steele decided that ageing was the most important scientific challenge of our time, and switched fields to computational biology. He worked at the Francis Crick Institute, using machine learning to decode our DNA and predict heart attacks using patients' medical records. He is now a full-time science writer and presenter based in London. He has appeared on Discovery and the BBC. Follow him on instagram @andrewjsteele, twitter @statto, and facebook @DrAndrewSteele.  Read his Psychology Today interview, and check out his Today Show appearance Related Episodes: Episode 125. Why We Age and the Science of Longevity with David SinclairEpisode 13. Healthy Aging and the Brain Episode 194. How to Be (and raise) an Adult with Julie Lythcott-HaimsEpisode 174. How to Work and Parent Mindfully with Lori Mihalich-Levin

U.S. Latinos have a higher life expectancy and earn more yearly when they live in integrated neighborhoods.

Research suggests humans cannot slow the rate at which they get older because of biological constraints

This is a story about maps and death.

Prioritizing health of the world’s population would add 10 healthy years in midlife and $12 trillion to the global economy .