Typologies of Extreme Longevity Myths

Abstract

Purpose. Political, national, religious, and other motivations have led the media and even scientists to errantly accept extreme longevity claims prima facie. We describe various causes of false claims of extraordinary longevity. Design and Methods. American Social Security Death Index files for the period 1980–2009 were queried for individuals with birth and death dates yielding ages 110+ years of age. Frequency was compared to a list of age-validated supercentenarians maintained by the Gerontology Research Group who died during the same time period. Age claims of 110+ years and the age validation experiences of the authors facilitated a list of typologies of false age claims. Results. Invalid age claim rates increase with age from 65% at age 110-111 to 98% by age 115 to 100% for 120+ years. Eleven typologies of false claims were: Religious Authority Myth, Village Elder Myth, Fountain of Youth Myth (substance), Shangri-La Myth (geographic), Nationalist Pride, Spiritual Practice, Familial Longevity, Individual and/or Family Notoriety, Military Service, Administrative Entry Error, and Pension-Social Entitlement Fraud. Conclusions. Understanding various causes of false extreme age claims is important for placing current, past, and future extreme longevity claims in context and for providing a necessary level of skepticism.

Biodemography of Exceptional Longevity: Early-Life and Mid-Life Predictors of Human Longevity

“…This study is primarily concerned with the possibility of incorrect dates reported in family histories. Previous studies demonstrated that age misreporting and age exaggeration in particular are more common among long-lived individuals (Elo et al, 1996; Hill et al, 2000; Jeune and Vaupel, 1999; Rosenwaike and Hill, 1996; Rosenwaike and Stone, 2003; Rosenwaike et al, 1998; Shrestha and Rosenwaike, 1996; Young et al, 2010). Therefore, the primary focus in our study was on the age verification for long-lived individuals.…”

The Genetics of Extreme Longevity: Lessons from the New England Centenarian Study

“…The majority of the NECS centenarians were born between 1880 and 1910 and reached a median survival of 103 years, thus surviving 30–40 years past the median survival of their birth year cohort. Birth certificates were available for only about 30% of the centenarians and therefore US census data from the early 1900s and other techniques were used for validating date of birth (Young et al, 2010; Andersen et al, 2012). Typically, 99% of age claims 115 years and older are false, and therefore in the case of supercentenarians, the NECS takes extra steps to prove a person’s age including family reconstitution and collecting multiple forms of proof that all must be consistent with one another (Young et al, 2010).…”

“…Birth certificates were available for only about 30% of the centenarians and therefore US census data from the early 1900s and other techniques were used for validating date of birth (Young et al, 2010; Andersen et al, 2012). Typically, 99% of age claims 115 years and older are false, and therefore in the case of supercentenarians, the NECS takes extra steps to prove a person’s age including family reconstitution and collecting multiple forms of proof that all must be consistent with one another (Young et al, 2010). Demographic, health, and family history data, as well as physical and cognitive function data are collected at least once for the majority of study subjects and are updated annually for living subjects.…”

The Nicoya region of Costa Rica: a high longevity island for elderly males

“…However, this quest for longevity islands has proved to be problematic. Claims of exceptional longevity in little-developed communities in the Andes and in the Caucasus (Leaf and Launois 1975) did not stand up to systematic scrutiny of the true age of supposed centenarians or supercentenarians (Garson 1991) (Young et al 2010). Demographers are also aware that age exaggeration among the oldest old in censuses leads to substantial age inflation in very old-age populations, and consequently, to underestimated mortality rates at old ages when computed using census-based denominators especially in populations with low levels of literacy (Coale and Kisker 1986; Preston et al 1999).…”