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How to Become a ‘Superager’

nytimes.com

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Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#71

Post by EGreg »

maguirre wrote: post #39
AznHisoka wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

in the same vein, could I get it done without going completely gray before 40

There is some evidence for chronic stress causing premature achromotrichia,[24] but no definite link has been established. It is known that the stress hormone cortisol accumulates in human hair over time, but whether this has any effect on hair color has not yet been resolved.

(Wikipedia)

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#74

Post by justinclift »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #44
badloginagain wrote: post #33

Super-ager, not super rager as I was reading. Really changes the context of the article.

Before I read the article I entertained the notion that it might refer to a supe rager - someone that is enraged when people misspell soup as supe.

Shhh, don't give Marvel Comics any more ideas. :D

It'll be a TV series about an angsty tween that doesn't fit in except their one special "supe rager" power, and a movie to boot. ;)

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#75

Post by justinclift »

Swizec wrote: post #9
omegaworks wrote: post #4

Good habits should feel good. Strange that we've evolved the opposite physiological response.

We didn't. Good habits still feel good. I feel much better when working out than when lounging on a couch watching TV. The first feels lively and fun, the second makes me fidgety and annoyed. Eating well gives me energy and lifts my spirits, eating crap makes me lethargic and bleurch. The problem is that initial activation energy. It's easier to sit down than to put on workout clothes. Easier to grab a piece of choco…

> Now I just gotta figure out how to make books easier than internet.

Get an outdated tablet that's WAAAAY too insecure for connecting to the internet (eg original Wifi iPad, set to airplane mode), and fill it with PDFs/epubs/etc of your choice.

Then, instead of jumping on the computer all the time, pull out the iPad somewhere away from the computer and read. eg in bed, outside on a balcony, etc

Doing exactly this works well for me, original iPad and everything. Theres No Way I'm going browse the web with that and get distracted, and I have all of the books I want with no buildup of useless physical book material. :D

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#76

Post by greenhatman »

erikbye wrote: post #55
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…

From what I've read, experienced, and observed, it would seem novelty is the crucial element in preserving and, even heightening, mental acuteness. Whether you are a programmer or a chess player; that alone might not be sufficient--you should always pursue novel activities. I tend to suggest music theory and learning to play an instrument. Programming and software development need not be complex, and indeed a lot of…

I think continuously becoming a better programmer is probably a good way to go at this. If you can sprinkle in some traveling and learning another language or to while you're at it, that would perfect. And maybe learn a musical instrument as well.

That's my medium to long term plan, anyway.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#77

Post by greenhatman »

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…

>A population of 7 billion+ immortals where the vast majority are set in their ways is terrifying.

Maybe. But not as terrifying as actually dying.

Frankly, I'm willing to deal with any problems arising from longer and/or indefinite lifespans, more than I'm willing to deal with the impermanence of life.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#78

Post by charlieflowers »

gurkendoktor wrote: post #66
orangecat wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Suppose that you lived in a world where aging didn't exist, and people typically lived for hundreds of years. (There would still be deaths due to accidents, violence, and occasional disease). And suppose it had exactly the problems you're imagining, where 800 year old oligarchs had accumulated lots of money and power and were preventing changes that younger generations wanted. Would your proposed solution be to relea…

> Suppose that you lived in a world where aging didn't exist, and people typically lived for hundreds of years. (There would still be deaths due to accidents, violence, and occasional disease). I'm sure Sci-Fi novels have explored this topic in detail, but when I read this I don't worry about older conservative generations - I worry that everyone will become paralysed by conservatism, including young people. Taking d…

Isaac Asimov explored this in his Foundation novels ... particularly with the Solarians. It's interesting to see where he went with the idea.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#79

Post by DiThi »

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…

Op's article suggests that there's only "brain exercise" when it's difficult to the point one feels bad or even painful. Very different from "simple joy" as you describe. I'm not saying that there are studies supporting that (I'm not sure), but there's a clear difference we should be aware of before discarding the idea.

Re: How to Become a ‘Superager’

#80

Post by smhost »

scotty79 wrote: post #67
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?

That's an idea that sounds good. Sounds like something people might want to be true. So any scientist should be extra careful in checking if observations sufficiently support this idea. After all, science is just a process mainly for avoiding lying to yourself about reality.

I agree 100%, but there's otherwise nothing obviously problematic with the idea itself, is there? It's just that we, humans, are flawed and biased?
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