Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Become a ‘Superager’

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 95 posts

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#21

Post by tormeh »

siavosh wrote: post #19
yegortimoshenko wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very inspiring fable that puts aging into another context: http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html

I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly extended life/health-spans? If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually…

Yes, immortality would have to be accompanied by neuroplasticity drugs. The biggest benefit of neuroplasticity drugs, btw, would not be that users would acquire new knowledge, but that they would forget outdated knowledge.

As I get older (and I'm still relatively young) I observe that I keep remembering things that are wrong and sometimes I even base decisions on that outdated knowledge.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#22

Post by AznHisoka »

stpapa wrote: post #16

> This means that pleasant puzzles like Sudoku are not enough to provide the benefits of superaging. Neither are the popular diversions of various “brain game” websites. You must expend enough effort that you feel some “yuck.” Do it till it hurts, and then a bit more. This sounds a lot like software development. We are constantly on the edge of frustration. Working on a complex problem can be at the same time exhaust…

is it possible to expend some yuck without thinning my hairline and makinng me look old? :)

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#23

Post by smhost »

Baeocystin wrote: post #17
smhost wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, can you clarify your point? What is the problem with the idea that difficult tasks (both mental and physical) help to prevent atrophy in a certain part of the brain?

Because although it sounds like something that would make sense, the science does not actually support that conclusion. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-work/ The tl;dr is that brain training makes you better at that one particular task. Whether that carries over to anything else is unknown. It is considered a useful technique only insofar as that it is easy to do, and we don't have a lot of other…

The essay you linked seems to be a non-sequitur. Berrett suggests in the original article that performing a difficult task increases activity in the cingulate cortex, which might help to prevent aging. The essay you linked merely says that neuropsychological training probably doesn't make people generally smarter.

Becoming smarter and preventing aging are two different goals.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#24

Post by haliax »

siavosh wrote: post #19
yegortimoshenko wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very inspiring fable that puts aging into another context: http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html

I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly extended life/health-spans? If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually…

Even so, given the option to live forever, I wouldn't forgo it so that you could avoid said dread.

Regardless, I don't think that your reasoning about people being set in their ways is valid given significantly longer life or healthspans. A lot of existing conservatism is from people with families (don't rock the boat so I can focus on raising my young!) and people who are suffering the ill effects of aging (don't rock the boat so that I can retire in peace!).

The first group will likely diminish if we have longer healthspans (or else we'll run up against the barriers of overpopulation). Even if not, longer healthspans mean a longer period where people are neither raising families nor mainly preoccupied with living with advanced aging. As a result, I don't think the effect you're describing will be a significant one.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#25

Post by kiba »

siavosh wrote: post #19
yegortimoshenko wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very inspiring fable that puts aging into another context: http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html

I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly extended life/health-spans? If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually…

If you are under a certain age in any country (say

Just because they have a desire to protect the status quo does not actually mean that they can protect the status quo.

A population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in their ways is terrifying, and being born into such an oppressive world would fill me with dread.

As opposed to having humans who can't remember the past because the experience of the old generation passed away?

Those who don't remember the lesson of history are doomed to repeat it?

Yes, the world will be confronted with new problems that we don't have to deal with before. We may have to seriously consider population control and other measures.

But does anybody seriously want to go to the old status quo where old people are given serious diseases like cancers, Alzheimer and heart attacks, where they are forced to suffer until they finally die, often not of their own choice?

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#26

Post by [deleted] »

siavosh wrote: post #19
yegortimoshenko wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm preaching to the choir, but for the sake of visibility — there is a very inspiring fable that puts aging into another context: http://www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html

I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly extended life/health-spans? If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually…

[deleted]

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#27

Post by Baeocystin »

smhost wrote: post #23
Baeocystin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because although it sounds like something that would make sense, the science does not actually support that conclusion. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-brain-training-work/ The tl;dr is that brain training makes you better at that one particular task. Whether that carries over to anything else is unknown. It is considered a useful technique only insofar as that it is easy to do, and we don't have a lot of other…

The essay you linked seems to be a non-sequitur. Berrett suggests in the original article that performing a difficult task increases activity in the cingulate cortex, which might help to prevent aging. The essay you linked merely says that neuropsychological training probably doesn't make people generally smarter. Becoming smarter and preventing aging are two different goals.

Look at the paper linked in the overview that I posted.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#28

Post by smhost »

Baeocystin wrote: post #27
smhost wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The essay you linked seems to be a non-sequitur. Berrett suggests in the original article that performing a difficult task increases activity in the cingulate cortex, which might help to prevent aging. The essay you linked merely says that neuropsychological training probably doesn't make people generally smarter. Becoming smarter and preventing aging are two different goals.

Look at the paper linked in the overview that I posted. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....

I did look at that paper. Here is a quote from that paper:

> Based on this review, all three approaches to computerized training – classic cognitive training tasks, neuropsychological software, and video games – appear to hold promise for improving cognitive abilities in cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults who have a higher risk of cognitive decline as they age.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#29

Post by siavosh »

kiba wrote: post #25
siavosh wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious if proponents of 'immortality' do not fear a world where there are tremendous social (not to mention environmental) consequences to significantly extended life/health-spans? If you are under a certain age in any country (say Most peoples' formative life views develop in a certain brief segment of their lives, from which their subsequent experiences simply reinforce. It's sadly a rare few that continually…

If you are under a certain age in any country (say Just because they have a desire to protect the status quo does not actually mean that they can protect the status quo. A population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in their ways is terrifying, and being born into such an oppressive world would fill me with dread. As opposed to having humans who can't remember the past because the experience of…

Some thoughts:

- I can also imagine a world where the 0.01% continue to accumulate wealth, they will certainly have a growing ability to protect their position. The world has finite resources, when "immortality" is discovered will certainly have an effect on wealth and power distributions.

- I would argue many people today forget what happens to them/society within years well within their lifetimes.

- "Population control / other measures" -- hence my dread.

- I think improving quality of life is very different than extending it into multi-generational periods.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#30

Post by ihaveahadron »

Seems to me like the western scientists (I have no idea about the eastern scientists) royally fucked up and thought there was like some kind of emotional region that only exists for women, when it turns out males , in reality, have emotional regions too. If this doesn't make sense, guess what, you don't make any sense either.
Post reply on HN