I tried out The Death Clock. I’m supposed to die on Friday, November 16, 2018 because I chose the pessimistic option.

This an online application that computes when you are likely to die with the following variables:
1) Date of Birth
2) Sex
3) Mode of life (optimism, pessimism, sadism, normal)
4) Body Mass Index (BMI)
5) Smoking Status (non-smoker/smoker)

There is also a calculator that computes BMI with height and weight.

Plugging in my stats, it returned the date of November 16, 2018. I will only be 57 years old. I calculated my BMI on the 25. It doesn’t allow for the .5 of the 25.5.

However, that is if all other variables remain the same. I’m not sure if I could maintain an optimistic outlook on life if I did what I needed to do to reach and maintain that ‘desirable’ weight. A thin, pessimistic me would only live until 2016 (57 years old). Outlook on life seems to have a greater impact on longevity than weight.

Of course, I’m not going to use this as an excuse not to strive towards my goal. However, I will keep in mind that I shouldn’t sacrifice my enjoyment of life in the effort, because that is counter productive. It’s a balance, and I know I can lose a good 20-30 pounds, and remain happy; perhaps even be happier for it.

Of course, there are other variables that aren’t included in the computation. I’ve been a non-smoker most my life. Someone who smoked for 20 years, but quit, is in the non-smoker category as well. Our risks aren’t the same. Genetic predisposition to diseases such as cancer also are ignored.

Avoiding alcohol consumption when driving, staying out of war zones, and taking care of dogs or cats are other things that have been (or could be) statistically proven to have a positive effect on your longevity.