It’s Not Just About Living Longer—It’s About Living Well

Everyone wants to live longer — but what if we’ve been asking the wrong question? Instead of how to increase the years from birth to death (lifespan), a new conversation is emerging around health span — the years we spend living well.

Health span refers to the number of years we live free from significant chronic disease or disability. This accomplishment is more about the quality of the years, not just the quantity.

Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer are responsible for the majority of deaths worldwide and often lead to years of diminished quality of life. In the U.S., the average lifespan is about 78 years, but the average health span is closer to 64 years—meaning many spend over a decade coping with illness or disability.

Improving lifespan is straightforward: it’s adding to the number of years a person is alive. Thanks to advances in medicine and public health, life expectancy has improved. However, the increase in years hasn’t always translated to these additional years being spent in good health.

Imagine two people who both live to 90. One spends the last 20 years battling multiple chronic illnesses, while the other remains active and independent well into their 80s. The lifespans are identical, but the health spans are dramatically different.

It turns out we're in control of both life and health spans more than we might think. Research on the Blue Zones, areas where there is a higher concentration of centenarians, offers clear examples of how diet, remaining active, managing stress and engaging socially with family and friends can promote healthy aging.

In fact, we clearly can influence our fate. Only about 20% of how long we live is dictated by our genes; the remaining 80% is shaped by our daily habits.

As baby boomers continue to age into and through the system, this shift in focus will become even more apparent due to the impact both their lifespan and health span will have on the system - and on their quality of life.

As we shift the conversation away from wanting to live longer to wanting to live healthier and more vibrant lives, we'll need to acknowledge how we can influence our ability to achieve a life filled with purpose, independence and well-being.

Because for most of us, the measure of a life well-lived will not be how long it lasted but how well we were able to live it.