Why do we, as humans have such short lifespans?

Question

I have been thinking why couldn't humans live longer than they do? Like I dunno a thousand years? Sure, we have a limited amount of braincells till we die, but could not our body just evolve to have more braincells? Why do we live the length of time that we live?

Answer 1

that's the way God meant it to be

Answer 2

Humans actually live a long time compared to other animals. Very few live longer than humans. The only ones that live longer tend to have very low metabolisms (turtles, whales, clams). Animals with high metabolisms have short lifespans. What limits the human lifespan is how many times cells can multiply in the body before they die, especially heart cells. The brain doesn't really affect this, as brain cells don't act like other cells in the body.

Philosophically, as this is in the philosophy section, I can see that many people might want to live a longer life. However, 100 years is a long time, and I think most people at that point might think they've lived enough. I'm in my 30s, and I'd love to live much longer than 100 years, but my opinion might change when I'm 100. The changes seen in a 100 year lifetime can be amazing, and at the age of 100, it may be difficult to adjust. You might feel out of place, like you no longer belong. At that age, I believe most people are tired of life.

Answer 3

It's the way how the body works. Of all the living beings that move, I think we have the longest lifespan.

Maybe the other reason if so that we wouldnt ask so much "why's". Maybe it is for us to live our life and put it to good use coz we know our time is limited. If our time is long, as proven by many, humans always procrastincate until there's just no time left for them.

Answer 4

The human body is ideally supposed to live around 40 years. A common lifespan of 80, 90, even 100 years has only come about within the last few decades. We have more food and better health care in recent years, prolonging our lives. Who knows, our lifespans could keep getting longer, assuming we learn to maintain our health better (i.e., proper diet and exercise).

Answer 5

But short and long are relative words. Like some days, feel so much longer, while other days are shorter. It depends on our perspective. You can make it as long or as short as you like. Our lifespans are much longer as compared to say, a fruitfly who lives..what ..24 hours? Every creature is made differently and has a different approximate lifespan. Ours is just the way it is. But yeah, science is working hard always to extend life....and let us hope they keep making breakthroughs :).

Answer 6

Thats a very good question. If you read the bible in Gen 5:5 it tells you that Adam the first man lived 930 years and he died. Today we live to 70 or even 80 years and others even longer. So why is it that we no longer live even longer like they do during bible times. To ans. that question Satan made Adam & Eve to disobey God so they lost perfection and passed it on to us for in (Romans 5:12) " That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned." But gods plans has not changed. There will be a time when we can live forever just as the bible promises. That can be explained later.

Answer 7

Who says we live such short lives? We live much longer than most mammals. For example we live roughly 7 times longer than dogs and hundreds of times longer than flys. I find it strange that people complain about how short life is and yet are bored most of the time.

If we really live in the moment then we can stretch out each moment, and with enough skill and courage we can stretch that moment out into infinity and live as long as we dare.

Answer 8

in return of wisdom. But i believe one day that we will live longer and clones may exist too despite objections. Today of us are made after years of evolution.Maybe after some catastrophe, we might evolve into something stronger.

Add...
Do u know why there are something magnificent such as Egypt pyramids.....not UFO. I think our ancestors are much smarter than in the book until .....they are wiped out by disasters?Thus,the pyramid is still there but their knowledge has gone disappear.

Answer 9

If we were to become able to live a thousand years or so, we'd better curb our ability to reproduce: talk about overpopulation....

Also I'd push for optimal health, since who wants to live for centuries as a feeble old person creaking with all kinds of aches & pains?

Our lifespans as they are now give us the sense of urgency to make living meaningful- makes time precious; makes us not want to waste a moment....

Imagine living on & on & on, exhausing all your questions, your interests & cares until nothing matters at all...

Answer 10

We used to live longer than our "normal" circa post WW2 expectations (years after 2000, which is pretty dismal due to AIDS/HIV
(Healthy life expectancy at birth ranged from 40 years for males in Africa to over 70 years for females in developed countries)

Answer 11

Rats have shorter lifespan because of the fact they speed via life. Their genetic makeup has them flow via cellular divisions quite quickly, it rather is without doubt certainly one of the excuses they're used for examine. it is likewise why they are able to get tumors quite actual for an animal that length.