7 Habits To Live Better And Longer, According to Science

Biohacking, optimization, And the wellness industrial complex 2.0 is full of bunk; here’s what actually works.

In the self-help, biohacking, and personal improvement crowds, people often turn their entire lives into work, all in the name of getting better and living forever. I know some who get so into optimization, recovery-tracking, cold-exposure, and nutrient timing that every meal and shower — and even sleep — becomes something to excel at for a future goal.

No wonder everyone is exhausted.

If the wellness industrial complex of the last decade was focused on “self-care” via lotions, potions, and pills, then this decade is shaping up to be one that champions “optimization” via neurochemical engineering, freezing showers and baths, “zone two” training, mTor, and greens powders.

This new wave of wellness rests on the complexification of everything using jargon and scientific terms (or in some cases, simply scientific sounding terms) to describe habits and practices that promise a version of physical, and sometimes spiritual, enlightenment. But there’s a difference between an activity sounding super important, versus an activity actually being super important. Just because you can measure something, doesn’t mean it matters.

Consider the much-hyped linkage between waking up, submerging oneself in ungodly cold water, and “up-regulating feel-good molecules like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.” It very well may be the case that freezing water is useful but you know what else likely has an effect similar to those same neurochemicals? Having a coffee and taking a morning poop. There are myriad activities — a long walk out of doors, deadlifting, gardening, dancing, swimming, watching a sunset — that make us feel good, many of which are easier, more accessible, more enjoyable, and more beneficial than a cold plunge.

Might some new-wave wellness techniques work for certain people in certain situations? Absolutely. But I have three main concerns:

First, for those trying to understand health, wellness, and longevity, the conversation will get flooded with so much static that it will be impossible for…