Why are 2 extra years of life expectancy rated so low?
 

In Rain Man's "Pick one, any one" poll, many more people picked $15,000 than to increase one's life expectancy for two years. I thought this was surprising, because there are a lot of people who would spend several times that to live a couple more years. Then Buc-Eyed Pea made the observation that she would probably be ready to die by the time she reaches somewhere in her '80s anyway, given her quality of life. I could see this, but the quality of life would have to fall pretty low before I'd want to check out. One good day in five would be enough to keep me moving on.

I'm probably in the second half of my life, and I'm already thinking that the years are going by a lot faster than I ever thought they would. I'm trying to take some steps with my lifestyle choices to prolong both my life and my quality of living in my later years. I'd like to be active and independent until I reach my 80's, at least. I don't think I'll be ready to check out by then, but I'm trying to be realistic about what I can expect.

At what age do you expect your health to fail to the point that life isn't worth living?

How many years do you think you will live beyond that age?

Not trying to be morbid, just trying to understand the mentality that would lead one to take $15K (not a life changing amount) in exchange for two years of life expectancy (presumably a longer life expectancy would also carry with it a longer period of healthy active, life).

when you get older your eyes, hearing, and memory goes to shit. Your dick doesn't even work. Who wants 2 more years of that.

Two more years, the way my body is falling apart, didn't sound to appealing this morning. :D

Now, if the poll would have been this evening, after I get a little buzz going, the answer would have been different.

I think when you get to that point, it still seems a lot better than being worm food.

I understand these responses based on the "quality of life" issue, Mr. cdcox. But, I think it's mainly because we are a culture dedicated to the principle that "instant gratification" trumps future possibilities. Take the 15k now and let the chips fall where they may.

Then again, if you invest the money wisely, maybe you can afford a heart transplant when the time comes so you wind up with both.

FAX

Like Denis Leary said

It's quality over quantity. I would rather live like a movie star or billionaire to 50 years old than to live a pathetic boring life until I was 80. Sometimes fun costs ya, it just does.

In recent years, rock stars have decided that it's better to fade away than to burn out.

I don't think I'd want to gamble on anything like that. Imagine dying at 80 and then one year later the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

LOL. Good point. I think if KU, Royals, and the Chiefs each won their respective championships all in the same year. I could go like a happy man. I would probably just put myself down, I mean, what else would there be to live for. Everything would be done.

it's rated so low because it's only EXPECTED you make it that long..why would you want to add 2 years to something that's not even guaranteed in the first place? It's not saying you'll live to be that old, it's basically just a statistic. 78 is the average, great you just boosted that number to 80.

My grandpa is 92 years old in the rest home. He has been on dialysis for 9 years. He was only supposed to live for 2 years after he started dialysis. He can't really do anything really. It takes 3 people to help him get in the car if he wants to go out to eat. About every week he has to go to the ER because of low blood pressure or an infection in his dialysis tube. All his life he has been a strong independent man. Anything he wanted to do, he just went and built it. 15 years ago, he was 6'4 probably 210 and solid muscle. To see this great man reduced to this crushes me. I don't want that, not in the least. My grandpa is lucky that he has good family and good kids that visit him. There is no guarentee that I will have that.

Besides that, I picked the lose 30 lbs:)

I was suppose to be in the ground about 10 years ago... I'm still around so it doesn't matter to me... I'm TOTALLY thrilled that I wake up each morning and still take a breath and see the world thru my eyes...

As long as I out live my parents, I will be satisfied... I've seen it, but I just can't even picture what it must be like to see a parent have to bury their children...

I'm a little surprised too, but I guess many people assume that those two years are two years of health and vitality that are equivalent to that of their last year of life.

I wonder if the results would've been different if I had instead phrased it as "your aging will stop for two years starting right now".

With that language, I may well have picked it.