Why Do We Age?

Many people today ask the same question: Why do we age? Many scientist and researchers have came to the conclusion that it has a lot to do with genetics, the environment in which one lives, their gender, and their ethnicity.
        
Genetics and family lineage play a huge role in aging as we are sometimes “just born with it.” A number of parents conceive children that will now have the same genetic issues as one or the other, or the two combined. Many people are at risk for certain diseases and serious medical conditions because of their DNA. Luckily, today there are better research facilities and medical treatments that will make those risks disappear.
   
Second, an environment in which one lives can determine how long of a “healthy life” that an individual will live. Where you live and what you live around can wrongly influence a person’s longevity especially if they live near or are exposed to disease, pollution, or warehouse fumes. It’s proven that the southern, poorer states such as Mississippi and West Virginia have the lowest life expectancy due to lack of high-end medical treatment or something as little as filtered drinking water (Cavanaugh 2011, p. 112).
   
Lastly, gender and ethnicity play a huge rule in one’s life expectancy and well being as well. For instance, women live five years longer than men, and whites live six and a half years longer than African-Americans. It's not understood fully why women live longer than men; However, whites may live longer than African-Americans due to lower Socio-Economic Status (SES) levels. Those with lower SES levels most likely do not have health insurance, therefore, do not have access to medical treatment and coverage for the leading causes of death in African-Americans, diabetes (Cavanaugh 2011, p. 112).


Works Cited
Cavanaugh, J. C. (2011). Adult Development and Aging (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.