Beyond sole longevity: a social perspective on healthspan extension

Abstract

Pursuance of longevity is not only combating decrepitude but it is also extending the health span; otherwise longevity would result in a universal medical and social burden. As revealed by the literature, the attainment of a healthy life could be impacted by the social milieu. An inquiry of this kind could hardly be settled by mere laboratory endeavors, and thus serious discussion of the social dimension of life span extension is imperative. However, little attention has been paid to this need in the biogerontological field. In view of this gap, the aim of this article is to explore the health relationship of the social milieu by using social relations as an example and to raise the awareness within our biogerontological community of the relevance of the social milieu to our existing efforts on longevity pursuance. It is hoped that through this article and with the success of antiaging therapies, not only could collaborative work between biogerontologists and scholars in other disciplines be stimulated, but indefinite extension of both life span and health span could also be achieved in the future.