Why Women Live Longer Than Men

Women tend to live longer than men, even under the most difficult conditions like famines and epidemics. While it’s true that women tend to go to the doctor more and engage in less risk-prone activities, behavior alone doesn’t explain this phenomenon. In this episode, demographer Virginia Zarulli tells us about the implications of the startling fact that, in times of extreme hardship, it is often infant girls outliving infant boys that contributes most to the gap in longevity. Neurologist Dena Dubal, who has spent years studying the influence of the second X chromosome that females carry, explains how research into how women age will benefit men, too. And neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi talks about the impact of sex hormones on aging and why women are disproportionately susceptible to certain age-related diseases.