The question why a woman lives longer than a man is not only of interest to a simple layman. This well-known fact worries the minds of scientists around the world. We will study ten reasons that experts offer regarding a given topic. Read on to be interesting.
Relentless Statistics
According to the observations of extras, for the hundred old people who currently live on earth, only five are men. It can be assumed that this is an accident. But for scientific research, such information can also be established. There is a traditional view of why a woman lives longer than a man.
It is based on the study of history, when the stronger sex was assigned the role of breadwinners, and women had a simpler task - to deal with children and provide home comfort. But that was in the old days. This is not true of our days, when both men and women likewise live under constant stress. At the same time, it was proved that women live longer than men, especially widows. What's the secret? We’ll try to figure it out.
Main reasons
The answers why women live longer than men can be different. Female representatives also experience difficulties in bearing and having children, the presence of female health problems, and housekeeping. But such a difficult life rhythm does not prevent ladies from leading among long-lived women, compared with the stronger sex. Average figures range from five to seven years in favor of women.
Research scientists have identified the reasons that significantly affect the duration of the life cycle:
- Hormonal
- Emotional.
- The presence of bad habits.
- How a person takes care of his health.
- Evolutionary.
- Biological (genetic).
- How it relates to marriage ties.
- Can drive vehicles.
- How wide is the range of his interests.
- Does the person have children.
We decipher the listed reasons in more detail.
Reasons from the past
Who lives longer: men or women? Have women always been leaders among centenarians? Consider the question on the example of a country such as Sweden, for which the most reliable statistics have been provided over a long time period.
1800: women of this country live on average up to 33 years, men - up to 31 years. Today it is respectively 83.5 to 79.5 years. Despite a significant increase in age, the longevity of the fair sex is almost 5% higher than that of the male half of the population. Such indicators, according to scientists, are the most reliable model of biological development statistics.
How does a man take care of his health
If we consider that the reason for the shorter life cycle of men is not such an increased concern for the state of their body, we need to analyze why this thought arises. To date, bad habits in the form of smoking, drinking alcohol and overeating, unfortunately, are common to many ladies. Here the situations vary depending on which country the person lives in.
For Russian men, life expectancy indicators are 13 years less than for women. It can be noted that males are more unhealthy.
The reason for human evolution
If we consider the features of evolutionary development, it can be noted that animal species such as chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons also live less if they are males. But they do not tend to use nicotine or alcohol. Therefore, out of 10 reasons why women live longer than men, the factor of evolutionary development is fundamental.
Biological background
Why does a woman live longer than a man? Above are ten main reasons voiced by experts. It is very difficult for representatives of the stronger sex to understand that they are in the category of lagging behind in matters of longevity. Many are trying to change this pattern. But statistics continue to inexorably record facts in favor of women.
In the process of evolution, men's work has always been more complex physically. Representatives of the weaker sex are more characteristic of emotional experiences. Today, the border is blurred in most cases. Heavy physical labor replaced by automation. And representatives of both sexes became hostages of a sedentary lifestyle. Why does a woman live longer than men, if today their duties are almost equal in complexity?
Scientific evidence
Scientists from the University of England believe that the action of social factors and lifestyle cannot be ignored, but the reasons for the biological structure of a person are most important. The presence of a difference in life expectancy can be explained by mechanisms that affect the situation with life expectancy. The leaders in this list are DNA molecules - chromosomes present in all cells.
The property of chromosomes to be arranged in pairs is well known, women have two X chromosomes, and men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, which affects a process such as cell aging. If a woman has two identical chromosomes, one of them remains spare and can be activated if the first chromosome is out of order. Such a reserve does not exist in men, so they are often sick.
Another biological cause of longevity of women is the condition when the pulse of a woman becomes faster before the onset of menstruation. Thus, a kind of training of the heart muscles takes place, and this organ becomes more resistant to diseases.
The reason for the growth can also be important. For tall people, and men are usually higher than women, the presence of more cells is characteristic. Therefore, there is a high probability of the development of dangerous mutations. Also, the larger the body, the greater the amount of energy that will be burned, increasing tissue wear.
Who lives longer: men or women, statistics determined exactly. Another biological reason may be a feature of the testosterone production process that is responsible for the remaining male symptoms: a low voice and a hairy chest, as well as a balding crown. According to interesting data from medical statistics, the conception for 100 girls is characterized by only 105 boys. But the reasons for the frequency of miscarriages that happen to male embryos, less viable, lead to the birth of a larger number of girls.
The influence of emotions
The emotional sphere also affects longevity. Without stress, neither men nor women can live today. Experiences are usually associated with work, life or children. They significantly affect the shortening of the life cycle, but without them in the modern world can not do. With the difference in how representatives of each gender relate to stressful situations and were able to adapt to them.
Men tend to restrain emotions and feelings, rather than splashing them at every opportunity. Scientists believe that such behavior is harmful to the health of the stronger sex due to the accumulation of stress.
Women, by contrast, are inherent in crying, complaining, and in some cases shouting, which is considered useful. After the woman cried, she feels that she’s better on her soul.
Attitude to marriage
Happy married couples of old age delight us in the photo. Why women live longer than men, we understand further. It is proved that family people do not die as early as single people. This is especially true of the stronger sex. The life of bachelors ends, as a rule, almost eight years earlier than people bound by marriage. This can be explained as follows:
- Men living in marriage are taken care of by their women. Therefore, they eat better and have more comfortable conditions, which helps to reduce stress.
- The state of intimate life, when there is regular sexual intercourse with the same partner, helps to reduce the risk of morbidity from genital infections.
- Married men are less likely to take risks, but not so with their unmarried peers.
Can a person drive vehicles
The cause of longevity can be considered a car. This transport is often driven by the stronger sex. This leads to nervous tension during driving and death from accidents. Women are more prone to caution in such situations.
Unfortunately, a man’s addiction to his own car does not contribute to extending his life.
To summarize
Life expectancy is not a formula that can be calculated. Over the years, a lot of different factors influence us. Moreover, not all women experience their spouses. This can be proved by analyzing examples from your environment.
As the article was written, the reason for longevity lies in evolutionary development, when chimpanzees and male orangutans lived less than the females of these human predecessors.
The life expectancy is also affected by the attitude to health, sports, nutrition, and the family. It is important that a person has heredity. The ability to cope with stressful situations also significantly affects life expectancy, as well as the profession that a person has chosen for himself. That is why women live longer than men.