Forever Young

Forever Young

Sharing the science of longevity with a healthy dose of humanism. Helping you cut through the noise and explore our species' deepest fears, greatest hopes, and wildest dreams. foreveryoungfilm.substack.com

  1. THE CAMBRIDGE CONVERSATION: Steve Horvath, Adrian Liston, and Gabriele Kaminski Schierle on the Future of Aging

    12 MAR

    THE CAMBRIDGE CONVERSATION: Steve Horvath, Adrian Liston, and Gabriele Kaminski Schierle on the Future of Aging

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com Steve Horvath created the epigenetic clock — the molecular tool that, for the first time, made it possible to measure biological age rather than simply count the years a person has been alive. His 2013 paper is among the most-cited in aging research, and his current work at Altos Labs in Cambridge focuses on whether the clock can not only measure aging …

    5 min
  2. Your Shrinking Social Circle Is a Feature, Not a Bug.

    4 MAR

    Your Shrinking Social Circle Is a Feature, Not a Bug.

    You’ve probably noticed it — the friend group gets smaller as you get older. Turns out, there’s a reason for that, and it’s actually good news. Dr. Laura Carstensen, psychologist and founder of the Stanford Center on Longevity, breaks it down, a process she calls “friendship pruning.” Most people assume a shrinking social circle is a sign of decline. Dr. Carstensen’s research says the opposite. As we age, we don’t lose friends — we edit them. What remains is what she calls an “emotionally dense” network: fewer people, known longer, cared about more deeply. That’s not loneliness. That’s wisdom operating at a biological level. The science behind this is striking. Carstensen’s socioemotional selectivity theory shows that as our time horizon shortens, we become more selective about how we spend it — and with whom. The result is that older adults report higher emotional satisfaction from their relationships than younger people, despite having fewer of them. Quality, it turns out, is not just preferable to quantity. It’s measurably better for your health. We pulled this clip from our full Q&A with Dr. Carstensen — one of the most viewed conversations we’ve had on this Substack. If this resonates, the full interview goes much deeper: her research on the happiness U-curve, intergenerational friendship, and what she calls the three things society must fix before longer lives become the norm. Become a paid subscriber to watch the full interview → This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min
  3. Stanford's Top Longevity Psychologist on Building a New Map for Life

    10 FEB

    Stanford's Top Longevity Psychologist on Building a New Map for Life

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com After a recent screening of Forever Young, director David Donnelly sat down with Dr. Laura Carstensen for a live Q&A with the audience. Our ancestors gave us 30 extra years of life. So what are we doing with it? We’ve kept the same life script — education, then work, then retirement — and just stretched it at the seams. Dr. Carstensen thinks that’s a mistak…

    1 min
  4. A Magic Pill Is Not Going To Solve All Of Our Problems

    18/12/2025

    A Magic Pill Is Not Going To Solve All Of Our Problems

    We’re getting extraordinarily good at extending the machinery of life. But we’re losing the battle for the life within. In this video, psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Lewis delivers a sobering truth that is often ignored in longevity circles: technology can add years to your life, but it can’t solve the human condition. Pride, envy, jealousy, boredom—these are stubbornly built into us. Without substantial cultural shifts in how we think about relationships, meaning, and what actually makes us happy, we’re just kicking the can down the road. And we will ultimately pay the price. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com/subscribe

    2 min
  5. This Simple, Free Practice Could Add Years to Your Life

    29/11/2025

    This Simple, Free Practice Could Add Years to Your Life

    What if we told you there’s an intervention that reduces inflammation, improves cardiovascular function, and costs nothing? No prescription. No side effects. Available to everyone. Here’s what the research tells us about gratitude—and why it matters for longevity: Gratitude is measurable biology, not just a feeling. According to research published in Psychosomatic Medicine, gratitude is associated with lower levels of endothelial dysfunction—a key marker of cardiovascular aging. Heart patients who reported higher gratitude showed better vascular function, independent of depression or anxiety levels. (DOI) A six-week gratitude practice reduced inflammation by 27%. A workplace study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that employees who engaged in daily gratitude exercises for just six weeks saw a 27% reduction in C-reactive protein (a marker of chronic inflammation) and improvements in blood sugar regulation. (DOI) Chronic inflammation, as we cover in several of our posts, is one of the hallmarks of aging. Anything that reduces it is worth paying attention to. The connection between gratitude and longevity runs deeper than we thought. We now know that 93% of how you age is determined by lifestyle—not genetics. What we’re learning now is that how you think is an essential part of that lifestyle equation. Inspired by this article and video? Share it with a friend or family member. Want more from Dr. Thomas Lewis? Here’s one of our popular posts: We are now posting new videos and articles almost DAILY. Click below to gain FULL ACCESS to our growing library, engage directly with longevity experts in subscriber chats and Q&As, and more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com/subscribe

    2 min
  6. Why Your Brain Can’t Imagine Its Own Death

    23/11/2025

    Why Your Brain Can’t Imagine Its Own Death

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com We live in a culture that has mastered the art of avoiding death.We don’t see it, we don’t talk about it, and we certainly don’t allow room for the fear of it — not in polite conversation, not in our friendships, not even in our family lives. But Dr. Thomas Lewis makes something uncomfortably clear:Our silence hasn’t made death easier. It has made us more afraid. Why? Because the human brain is a prediction machine.It can model anything — danger, possibility, love, loss — but it cannot model its own non-existence.It literally cannot imagine a world without “you” in it.So it defaults to a kind of illusion: death is something that happens to other people. And that illusion works… until it doesn’t. In earlier centuries, death was woven into the fabric of life.People died at home, surrounded by family.Children grew up watching life end, not in horror, but as part of the natural rhythm of being human. Today, you can go an entire lifetime without seeing a body.Death has been sterilized, outsourced, hidden behind hospital curtains.And when something disappears from view, it becomes mysterious… and then frightening… and then taboo. The result is a quiet epidemic of unspoken fear.People aren’t just afraid of dying —they’re afraid of admitting they’re afraid. But here’s the part that gives this conversation its power: Anxiety grows in silence.Anxiety shrinks when shared. And a little less afraid. More from Dr. Thomas Lewis:

    3 min
  7. Can Caloric Restriction Treat Blindness? The surprising benefits of ketosis.

    18/11/2025

    Can Caloric Restriction Treat Blindness? The surprising benefits of ketosis.

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com Research by Pankaj Kapahi of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging shows that caloric restriction doesn’t just reduce weight. It reshapes metabolism. When the body takes in fewer calories, it shifts away from burning glucose — a fast but dirty fuel — and begins relying more on fats and lipids. This metabolic switch reduces inflammation, improves mitoch…

    1 min
  8. What happens when 100 becomes the new 60?

    17/11/2025

    What happens when 100 becomes the new 60?

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit foreveryoungfilm.substack.com Everyone’s talking about extending lifespan — the molecules, the biomarkers, the breakthroughs. Far fewer are talking about what happens after we succeed. Digital sociologist Julie Albright joins us for a provocative exploration of the cultural shockwaves that come when societies suddenly gain decades of extra life. What happens to dating? Purpose? Reli…

    24 sec
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About

Sharing the science of longevity with a healthy dose of humanism. Helping you cut through the noise and explore our species' deepest fears, greatest hopes, and wildest dreams. foreveryoungfilm.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Forever Young
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Forever Young Movie, LLC.
  • Show Website
    Forever Young