Who Wants to Live Forever?

Highlights

• The latest science points to the feasibility of delaying the onset of chronic diseases and even mortality. 
• Based on various surveys, the majority of people do not want to live forever. 
• Those who hold onto the idea of immortality may be the most afraid of death. 

Some of us, or at least our ideas, have become immortalized in monuments, history books, songs, and memories. In the words of English author Sir Terence David John Pratchett in the book Reaper Man,  

“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.”

This sentiment has brought many to pursue a life that lasts beyond death. But what if we didn’t have to rely on what we leave behind? What if we could immortalize our bodies and live forever?

How to Live Forever 

Recent marketing strategies in the realm of health and longevity have capitalized on the anxieties of aging, tapping into the hopes of escaping death’s purported inevitability. Even so, the prospect of slowing aging isn’t far-fetched. Several interventions show promise in delaying or preventing age-related diseases by mimicking aspects of fasting and caloric restriction (consuming fewer calories). These interventions include senolytics, mTOR inhibitors, NAD+ boosters, and drugs that lower blood glucose levels. 

Moreover, age-related diseases, for which the highest risk factor is age, are among the leading causes of death worldwide. These chronic diseases have no cure and include cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. It follows that, by delaying or preventing age-related diseases, interventions like fasting and caloric restriction can delay death. This means that the prospect of slowing aging and delaying death may be possible. 

However, interventions that mimic eating less are unlikely to delay death indefinitely. It is generally agreed upon that current longevity interventions may improve health, which may delay disease and death for several years, but whether these interventions can extend the lifespan of humans is highly debatable. The oldest modern human, Jeanne Calment of France, lived to be 122, but the average world life expectancy is closer to 73. 

Furthermore, individuals who live to 100 and beyond, like Jeanne Calment, appear to have a genetic profile conducive to longevity. Long-lived individuals also tend to be more resilient and capable of regulating their emotions more seamlessly than their short-lived counterparts. This suggests that, even with the right genes and attitude, the lifespan of humans cannot surpass 120 years or so. It appears that only the most radical technological breakthrough can extend the human lifespan.  

Who Wants to Live Longer?

A 2013 Pew Research survey showed that 56% of Americans would not want to live to 120 and beyond. Still, when it comes to immortality, a 2021 study showed that about 33% of Americans would want to live forever. However, this study does not reveal what kind of people want to live forever. A more recent 2022 study found that 19% of UK adults are in favor of “scientific immortality.” This study delved deeper, finding: 

• Men are consistently more in favor of immortality than women. 

• The younger you are, the more likely you are to want to live forever. 

• People who want to live longer are often non-religious. 

Aside from these few studies and some others, there isn’t much data on the general public’s opinion on living forever, let alone what type of person they are. Even public figures like Bryan Johnson, who markets himself as someone attempting to live forever, give us little insight into their own psychology. It would seem that Johnson wants to achieve immortality because he thinks we can. He also believes that living forever is the next step in human evolution. 

Imagined Immortality: Escaping the Terror of Death

One psychological theory potentially explains why some individuals want to live forever. The theory, called terror management theory (TMT), also attempts to explain the primary motivation behind all human behavior: the terror of death.

According to TMT, human societies cope with the awareness of impending oblivion by establishing cultural frameworks that mitigate the terror induced by the knowledge of our eventual demise. Such cultural frameworks usually give meaning to our finite existence and contribute to the apparent preciousness of life. 

Crucially, terror-mitigating cultural frameworks tend to promise immortality in some form or another. Historically, across many cultures, immortality is commonly granted via an afterlife, wealth, familial lineage, or legacy. Today, with the advent of social media and the globalization of ideas, cultural beliefs have become more fragmented. With the internet, it is no longer necessary for cultural frameworks to be localized and confined to specific geographical regions. 

As a result of the recent delocalization of cultural beliefs, microcultures have emerged. It can be argued that individuals who strongly believe we can achieve immortality with yet-to-be-established advanced technology are part of a delocalized subcultural framework. In this framework, the promise of immortality comes in the form of science and technology. 

However, on the premise that it is physically impossible for humans to become immortal, the promise of immortality from science and technology is but the latest addition to the long list of terror-mitigating cultural frameworks. For those who cannot accept death as an inevitability, these frameworks may persist as long as humans walk the Earth. Until then, based on TMT, we can assume that the individuals who want to live forever are those who are the most afraid of death.