I have always had marked crow's feet when smiling. As my face lost its teenage plumpness, they became even more pronounced. I never considered them negatively—on the contrary. According to current TikTok beauty trends though, I failed by not implementing preventative 10-step anti-aging regimens when I was in high school.

The world seems obsessed with longevity and eternal youth. Even more striking than the obsession with "glass skin" is the quest to extend maximum human lifespan well above 150 years. The most prominent figure in the anti-aging biohacker movement is Bryan Johnson, whose Netflix show Don’t Die gleamed screens worldwide to mixed reviews. He famously spends around 2 million US dollars annually on age-reversing or -slowing treatments and brands himself as the most biologically measured person in history.

The modern immortality movement might be a quest reserved for the privileged few who have millions to spend on such treatments and the willingness to subject their bodies to painstaking protocols. But sociologists, economists, and cultural researchers are taking note and raising questions: extending human lifespan by several decades would affect every aspect of human society—from family structures and careers to wealth distribution, pension systems, marriage dynamics, life phases such as adolescence, and mental health. Questions about treatment accessibility and the role of insurance cannot be sidestepped.

Consider this: in a world where you live to 150, your career might be over 105 years long. Would your chosen career remain relevant? Could anyone reasonably be expected to work the same job for over a century? This is assuming that bodily health and mental capacity are extended equally.

In this extended-lifespan world, having great-great-grandparents still active for a significant portion of your life would be normal. How would all these generations interact with each other? Wealth typically flows from older to younger generations via inheritance—what changes if younger generations need to wait decades longer?

The traditional marriage vow promises togetherness "till death do us part." Would people still confidently make such vows if death might not come for 120+ years? When would children enter the picture, assuming fertility windows are also extended?

And perhaps most philosophical of all: what constitutes a fulfilling 150-year life? What would our mental health look like with so much life—both the good and the bad—to experience?

Most researchers consider these questions premature, while others suggest the first person who will live to 150 might already have been born. The articles, podcasts, websites, and videos here below are great resources to start thinking about an ultra-centenary life.

Could you imagine living to 150 years old?

Sanjna

Some numbers

Read between the lines

	Why are our children obsessed with anti-ageing treatments? — Barbara Ellen, The Guardian, 2024 A look into children’s craze for products full of retinoids, AHAs and BHAs and strict preventative anti-aging regiments.
	The coming death shortage — Charles C. Mann, The Atlantic, 2005 Although 20 years old, the article is more relevant than ever. The author looks into what the implications of longer human life spans would be on society and culture.
	Inside the scientific quest to reverse human aging — Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 2025 A look into the latest scientific breakthroughs in anti-aging or age-reversing treatments - from a 2016 liminal trial on cellular reprogramming to companies looking to get FDA approved.

More numbers to crunch

When will you die? No one really knows. You can use the information you do have though to run simulations on this website by Flowing Data.

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Hear them out

How to live forever — Life and Art by FT Weekend, 2021 A good listen on the science behind the current longevity gold rush and the luxury market for life-extension.

The immortality bros: the business of living forever — The Slow Newscast, 2024 A Caribbean Island has become the playground for extreme biohackers seeking an unregulated paradise to administer their experimental anti-aging treatments.

Longevity: Can ageing be reversed? — The Economist, 2024. 15-minute video on fasting, parabiosis, and epigenetic reprogramming - three pillars of the anti-aging movement.

Science-fiction

While researching this article, I encountered initiatives that felt straight out of science fiction—mission statements like "we aim to make 90 the new 50" and plasma transfusions between father and son. Beyond real-world experiments, the quest for immortality has long fascinated writers and filmmakers, from Peter Pan to the Philosopher’s Stone and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Here’s a brief selection of how science fiction has explored immortality.

Through art

Portraits of the Brown sisters — Nicholas Nixon, 1975-today. Nicholas Nixon first photographed his wife Bebe and her three sisters in 1975. It became a yearly tradition, creating a collection of over 40 images showing passing of time and family bonds.
Marina Abramović’s longevity method The performance artist recently launched a skincare line and spiritual longevity concept - “to re-discover forgotten rituals and knowledge of the past.”. On her website abramoviclongevity.com you can buy “Energy drops” for 99$.
9-5 at 65 — Farin Mustafa, 2020. Singapore has one of the lowest fertility rates and highest life expectancies. By 2035, it is expected that 1/3 of the population be over 65+. Farin Mustafa reported on the Singaporean women working their jobs throughout their 60s and 70s.

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