By Eric Kristof Reasons women live longer:

  1. Genetics: women’s telomeres are longer than men’s.

  2. Genetics: women’s XX chromosomes provide a “backup” of sorts in comparison to men’s XY chromosomes.

  3. Hormones: estrogen protects women from cardiovascular disease in comparison to men.

  4. Hormones: testosterone increases risk taking behaviors. Women have less of it. Women with higher testosterone levels don’t live as long as their peers who don’t (and are more likely to bring a U-haul to their second dates).

  5. Men have higher body mass and higher metabolisms. Body mass (people over 6 feet tall tend to die of cancer more often than shorter people). Higher metabolism means that men tend to burn through their stem cells quicker.

  6. Social factors: men are more often convicted of criminal activity and incarcerated (men get prison while women get therapy). Higher risk environments and working conditions. Wars and military service. Men are less health conscious and tend to avoid doctors more when their health takes a dump.

  7. Evolutionary factors: women have historically been the primary caretakers in societies throughout the world and tend to have more social connections than men . Isolation is the ultimate poison as Howard Bloom likes to point out.