The discussion presented by Jolois related to FOXO3, a longevity gene discovered in the brains of people living longer than 100 years. This development of gene science is thrilling and inspiring for the medical and layperson community for many reasons. First, humankind has been dreaming of eternal life for many centuries, looking for a magic recipe to live longer since times immemorial. Today, science promises an answer to the longevity question, showing that the secret to a long life is concealed in the person’s brain. Thus, the activation of specific genes via gene editing or gene therapy can indeed help people live infinitely longer than they do today.
Nevertheless, together with many positives associated with this discovery, more extended living has many implications for related spheres of human life, like insurance, medical services, the food industry, and even residential planning. First, insurers will have to factor in longer living in their insurance prices, as the present-day insurance industry relies on an average life span not exceeding 80-90 years. Second, living longer does not mean living healthier, so medical services are expected to experience an unprecedented additional burden. More significant numbers of people will need chronic disease management, palliative care, and other services, thus threatening the system’s collapse. Third, the problem of world hunger may become more acute with millions of people living longer and causing a demographic crisis worldwide. Under the condition that global birth rates remain relatively stable and mortality rates decline, the global population will grow too quickly to adjust that growth sustainably. Thus, a demographic crisis may also evolve into a residential housing crisis, as modern cities will be unable to host larger numbers of people.
Krystal’s discussion of stress drinking as a psychological consequence of dysfunctional coping and poor adaptive mechanisms poses many implications for numerous spheres of human lives. First, the modern approach to marketing alcohol should be changed with proper concern for the far-reaching health effects of occasional, social drinking habits. Alcohol is marketed as a way to relax and get distracted from routines, and the reasons for its favorable presentation are clear. Alcohol producers are billion-worth giants interested in making people drink regularly, even if not much, to make their businesses stable and profitable. Therefore, it is logical to conceal the devastating physical and psychological effects of alcohol on people to make them believe that this pastime is safe for their health.
Besides, the new perspective on the development of stress drinking habits presented by Krystal makes a strong case for psychologists and counselors working with children and adolescents. As it comes from the available studies, stress drinking is a habit resulting from people’s inability to develop effective coping and adaptation tactics during the early years of their lives. Logically, one may assume that children and adolescents with proper psychological education are likely to become more resistant to stress drinking. People who have healthy coping alternatives and can manage stress effectively will hardly resort to regular alcohol consumption. Therefore, it is imperative for family counselors, youth and child psychotherapists, and educators to include education about coping and adaptation in their practices. If this goal is achieved, children and youngsters may get a much healthier psychological start in their lives, able to withstand the seductive marketing slogans about the universal curing force of alcohol.