He was wearing a “Don’t Die” baseball cap (from the ex-Mormon farmboy turned cult leader, Bryan Johnson) and spouting all kinds of data he’d learned from the podcasts of Peter Attia, Dave Asprey, Tim Ferriss and Andrew Huberman. Ironically, this YPOer had just turned 50 and Bryan (47), Peter (51), Dave (51), Tim (47), and Andrew (49) are all within a couple of years of 50. How come these dudes don’t realize that life begins at 50?!
Mr. YPOer recited so much data about his own biohacking journey I was embarrassed for him: Body fat percentage, Triglycerides, Dietary fiber, The balance between Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, His LDL cholesterol, The duration of his erections, His resting heart rate. My heart rate skipped a beat or two being fire hosed with all this intimate info. He averages 22,000 steps a day which is about double my count. All of a sudden, I started feeling a little inferior. He brashly told me that his longevity doctor says he’ll live till 120. I thought at any moment he’d taunt me, “Mine is longer than yours,” when referring to his life expectancy or below-the-belt manhood.
I congratulated him, but I couldn’t help feeling like he’s optimized his health to make his life as long AND unpleasant as possible. He’s recently divorced as his wife couldn’t keep up with his biohacking. She still appreciates the occasional glass of wine and chocolate cake. He lamented the fact that there aren’t enough attractive women in the biohacking movement. His body may be optimal, but his relationship life is suboptimal and there’s no pill for that…yet.
In the world of biohackers, where supplements are marketed as the key to unlocking human potential, the supplicants eagerly line up, hoping that the latest pill or potion will grant them the mastery over their own biology. To be honest, I have a weird curiosity about what these guys are doing. Maybe aging isn’t a problem that needs to be solved, but a disease to be hacked. I’ve occasionally done the steam room and pond combo at our MEA campus and, no doubt, cryotherapy gives me a rush. And, I definitely feel better when I’m intermittent fasting. But, what’s missing from these biohackers – beyond a little yin energy to balance out all their yang – is a sense of humor and balance. As comedian Hannah Gadsby says, “I tried biohacking. I drank a green smoothie, meditated for 5 minutes, and I still couldn’t change the fact that I haven’t got my life together. But at least my skin looks better.”
The irony is that biohackers get anxious that they’re not first in line to read the new research or to install the new longevity app on their phone. We’ve created a longevity treadmill that’s pacing faster and faster.
We’re never doing enough. And the pressure to optimize is so pervasive, it’s stressful…which, of course, is a catch-22 and a laughable irony. Because it’s clear (thank you to the Nobel-winning women scientists who did the groundbreaking research) that stress itself is one of the most ferocious agers around. It literally eats at your DNA.
Longevity is not a competition. It’s a privilege. And, it’s best shared with others because that’s the ultimate life-hack, relationships. At the end of the day, life is not about wearables, it’s all about shareables.
-Chip