LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• What is the average and the maximum longevity for humans?
• What genetic and environmental factors influence longevity?
• What ethnic factors influence average longevity?
• What factors create gender differences in average longevity?
108 CHAPTER 4
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usie is a 51-year-old Chinese American living in San Francisco. Susie’s mother (age 76), father (age 77), and grandmother (age 103), who are all in excellent health, live with her and her husband. Susie knows that several of her other relatives have lived long lives but wonders whether this has any bearing on her own life expectancy.
As we saw in Chapter 1, many more people are living to old age today than ever before. Like Susie, people today have already seen far more older