Death, Grief, & Purpose from a Longevity Science Perspective
Grief: one of the most profound emotions humanity shares; a universal experience that transcends time, culture, and place; a phenomenon as ancient as human existence. Grief is as intrinsic to the human experience as joy or hope, and no one escapes it—to grieve is to be human.
In this episode, Matt and Nick discuss their recent personal experiences with grief and loss. Matt lost his German Shepherd Dobby to degenerative myelopathy, while Nick's father succumbed to health issues precipitated by heavy alcohol use. Together they explore how grief affects mental and physical health, including how it affects the four Pillars of Healthspan—Eat, Sleep, Move, and Connect—as well as the hallmarks of aging. They also discuss the tricky emotions that can accompany grief, the different ways people react to change, and the unanticipated positives of negative experiences.
Check out the links below for further information and/or reading about some of the things we discussed in this podcast episode. Note that we do not necessarily endorse or agree with the content of these readings, but present them as supplementary material that may deepen your understanding of the topic after you listen to our podcast. This list is in no way exhaustive, but it’s a good start!
Increased Risk of Acute Cardiovascular Events After Partner Bereavement: A Matched Cohort Study
This study, which compared over 30,000 older individuals who experienced the death of a partner to a control group that didn't experience the death of a partner, found that those who experienced bereavement suffered from myocardial infarction or stroke at twice the rate of those who didn't experience bereavement. The increased risk diminished 30 days after the partner's death. The bereaved also experienced higher rates of rare events such as pulmonary embolism and non-myocardial infarction coronary syndrome.
This study found that myocardial infarction risk increased 21-fold in the 24 hours after the death of a significant person. The study authors hypothesize various factors, including poorer sleep and appetite, higher cortisol levels, lower total cholesterol levels, and higher "negative affect" levels, that may contribute to heightened cardiovascular risk at this time.
According to this study, participants who suffered the death of a spouse had a higher risk of dying from any cause compared to non-bereaved participants.
The Effect of Widowhood on Mortality by the Causes of Death of Both Spouses
Backing up the previous study, this paper also found that all-cause mortality of people who suffered the death of a spouse was higher for almost all causes, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, all-cause mortality did not significantly increase following the deaths of spouses from Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, which the authors attribute to a potential effect of "anticipatory grief": an adequate preparation time for caregivers facing a spouse's imminent death.
On the Mortality in Husbands and Wives
Published in 1940, this is one of the earlier studies suggesting a high positive correlation between the lifespan of married partners, even when the partners died of different causes. It also observed a significantly higher tendency for spouses to die of the same cause when the cause is one of cancer, heart disease, tuberculosis, influenza, or pneumonia.
