# #1231 Michael Gurven - Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dissenter-1161217/1231-michael-gurven-seven-decades-how-we-evolved-to-live-longer.md
Podcast: [The Dissenter](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dissenter-1161217)
Published: 2026-03-23T19:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedissenter/episodes/1231-Michael-Gurven---Seven-Decades-How-We-Evolved-to-Live-Longer-e3cgl3q
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/822ba20/podcast/play/112792122/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-17%2F83eb1e82-1529-c931-7a7f-6e52b13a2f71.m4a
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-dissenter-1161217/episodes/1231-michael-gurven-seven-decades-how-we-evolved-to-live-longer
Duration seconds: 8166

## Resource

******Support the channel****** Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on****** Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/ The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Michael Gurven is a Professor at the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, chair of the Integrative Anthropological Sciences Unit, and also head of the Evolutionary Anthropology and Biodemography Research Group. He is an evolutionary anthropologist aiming to explain behavior and physiological systems as adaptive solutions to competing demands of limited resource allocation. He is the author of Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer. In this episode, we focus on Seven Decades. We talk about longevity and aging from an anthropological perspective. We discuss what we can learn from supercentenarians and traditional societies. We talk about an evolutionary perspective on aging and lifespan. We discuss postreproductive lifespan, and when old people become a burden. We talk about physical and cognitive changes that occur with age. We discuss whether people are healthier in traditional or industrialized societies. We talk about evolutionary mismatches, late-age contentment, and the effects of retireme…

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