Longevity Score Quiz

What the Five Longevity Domains Measure

Longevity research consistently identifies a core set of modifiable lifestyle factors that account for the majority of variance in healthy lifespan independent of genetics. This quiz assesses five of the most robustly supported domains. Sleep is evaluated for both duration and quality, given that insufficient or fragmented sleep is associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing, impaired immune function, and substantially elevated cardiovascular and dementia risk. The Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study at Harvard, which collectively tracked over 120,000 adults for more than 30 years, identified adequate sleep (7–8 hours) as one of the five major lifestyle factors independently associated with living to 80 or beyond in good health.

Movement is assessed across intensity levels because different exercise modes affect longevity through distinct mechanisms. Zone 2 aerobic exercise builds mitochondrial density and capillary networks; resistance training preserves skeletal muscle mass, which is the organ most predictive of functional independence in old age; high-intensity work maintains VO2 max. Nutrition scoring weights dietary quality rather than specific macronutrient ratios, consistent with the evidence base: ultra-processed food consumption above 10% of total calories is independently associated with higher all-cause mortality in large cohort studies including the NutriNet-Santé cohort.

Why Light and Stress Are Included

Light exposure is included as a longevity domain because it is the primary zeitgeber — the environmental signal that synchronises the circadian clock — and circadian disruption is now recognised as an independent risk factor for metabolic disease, cancer, and cardiovascular events. A 2019 study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that women who slept with a light or television on were 17% more likely to gain at least 11 pounds over 5 years. Morning bright light exposure within 30–60 minutes of waking, combined with blue-light reduction in the 2 hours before sleep, is the most evidence-based light strategy for circadian optimisation and is associated with improved sleep quality, mood, and metabolic markers.

Chronic psychological stress accelerates biological ageing through multiple pathways including elevated cortisol (which promotes visceral adiposity, impairs glucose metabolism, and suppresses immune function), telomere attrition, and autonomic nervous system dysregulation that reduces heart rate variability. Telomere biologist Elizabeth Blackburn's research at UCSF documented that caregivers experiencing chronic stress had telomeres equivalent to people 9–17 years older than their chronological age. Stress-reduction practices with the strongest evidence base include mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which has demonstrated reductions in inflammatory markers and improvements in HRV in randomised trials, and social connection, which is consistently among the top predictors of healthy longevity across diverse populations.

How to Interpret and Improve Your Score

Your longevity score reflects current lifestyle practices, not genetic destiny. Unlike your DNA, all five domains are highly modifiable, and the research is clear that improvements in any single domain produce measurable benefits even when started later in life. A 2022 study in PLOS Medicine found that adopting a combination of longevity-supportive lifestyle changes at age 40 was associated with an expected gain of 20+ years of life expectancy compared to a typical Western lifestyle. The highest-leverage entry points for most people are sleep duration (adding one hour to consistently short sleep produces rapid improvements in cognitive performance, mood, and inflammatory markers) and aerobic fitness (even modest increases in VO2 max produce substantial mortality risk reductions at any starting point).