Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

Attia tells the story of the mythical Greek prince of Troy, Tithonus. He asked the gods for immortality. However, since he did not also ask for eternal youth, “his body continued to decay” (10). This story illustrates the two key concepts of longevity: chronological lifespan (which is what Tithonus asked for) and healthspan (which is what Tithonus failed to ask for). Attia’s primary argument is that we should not only want to live longer, but to live better for longer.

He notes that “to live to the age of one hundred without our mind and our body intact is not something that anyone would willingly choose” (46). Outlive is thus a call to action for the practice of longevity. Attia emphasizes that his “intent here is not to tell you exactly what to do; it’s to help you learn how to think about doing these things” (18).

He presents a three-part approach to longevity. The first part is an individual’s objective. The overall objective is to live longer with a good quality of life. Each person defines what “good quality” means to them. Strategy involves research and figuring out a way to achieve our individual objectives related to longevity.