Your Life Expectancy:

(See below to save this article.)

We're all probably going to live longer, so say the experts. In fact, everybody has the biological capacity to live until they're at least 100 years old, and receive that letter of congratulations from the President (if you live in the U.S.)!

But whether or not we reach the century mark depends on many factors: not only how we treat our bodies, but how we live and work, how we love, what we eat and how much we earn. Doctors and insurance actuaries have devised a set of questions to predict the life expectancy of their patients or clients. These questions may intrigue and surprise you!

The average lifespan in North America and Western Europe is around 69 for men and 76 for women. So let's play the "life expectancy" game! Starting with the number 72, add or subtract the amounts below according to your answers to these questions. Don't get upset if the total isn't as high as you'd like... simply adjust your lifestyle, and you may reach 100!

**********************************************

Let's start with the number 72, and then click the buttons if the statements below are true about you.

(After selecting an answer, please use your scroll bar, or press the Page-Up/Page-Down keys to move up or down in this document.)

PERSONAL DATA

If you are male, subtract 3.

If you are female, add 4.

If you live in an urban area with a population of 500,000 or more, subtract 2.

If you live in a town of under 10,000 population, add 2.

If at least one grandparent lived to 85 or older, add 2.

If all four grandparents lived to 80 or older, add 6.

If a parent died of a stroke or heart attack before the age of 50, subtract 4.

If any parent, brother or sister under 50 has (or had) cancer or a heart condition, or has had diabetes since childhood, subtract 3.

If you earn more than $40,000 a year, subtract 2.

If you finished college or university, add 1.

If you have a graduate or professional degree, add 2.

If you are 63 or over and are still working, add 3.

If you live with a spouse or a friend, add 5.

If you have lived alone 10-19 years since age 25, subtract 1.

If you have lived alone 20-29 years since age 25, subtract 2.

If you have lived alone 30-39 years since age 25, subtract 3.

If you have lived alone 40-49 years since age 25, subtract 4.

If you have lived alone 50-59 years since age 25, subtract 5.

LIFESTYLE DATA

If you work at a desk, subtract 3.

If your work requires physical labor, add 3.

If you exercise strenuously (tennis, running, swimming, etc.) four or five times a week for at least 30 minutes, add 4.

If you exercise as above two or three times a week, add 2.

If you sleep more than ten hours each night, subtract 4.

If you are intense or agressive, subtract 3.

If you are easy-going and relaxed, add 3.

If you are usually happy, add 1.

If you are frequently unhappy, subtract 2.

If you have been ticketed for speeding in the last year, subtract 1.

If you smoke more than two packs of cigarettes a day, subtract 8.

If you smoke one to two packs of cigarettes a day, subtract 6.

If you smoke one-half to one pack of cigarettes a day, subtract 3.

If you drink one shot of whiskey, one or two glasses of wine, or two beers a day, add 3.

If you don't drink every day, add 1.

If you are a heavy drinker, subtract 8.

If you are overweight by 50 lbs (23 kg) or more, subtract 8.

If you are overweight by 30-50 lbs (14-23 kg), subtract 4.

If you are overweight by 10-30 lbs (4.5-14 kg), subtract 2.

If you are a man over 40 and have annual checkups, add 2.

If you are a woman and see a gynaecologist once a year, add 2.

If you prefer simple food, vegetables and fruit over richer, meatier, fatty food, and if you always stop eating before you're full, add 1.

AGE ADJUSTMENT

If you are between 30 and 40, add 2.

If you are between 40 and 50, add 3.

If you are between 50 and 70, add 4.

If you are 70 or older, add 5.

.

To clear the above answers, press , and you can start over again.

(The above questionairre was adapted from the book Lifegain, written by Robert F. Allen and Shirley Linde, published in the USA. The interactive scoring was added by Robert Hosken.)