Why do women live longer than men?

About this episode

In the period from 2018 to 2020, the life expectancy at birth for women in the UK was 82.9 years, while it was just 79 for men. That’s according to data from the Office of National Statistics. And that disparity is a common trend across various countries and even among certain other species of mammals, like great apes. There certainly are, and they span both biological and behavioral factors. Dr. Perminder Sachdev is a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Talking to Time.com for an article published on the subject in 2019, he highlighted that men are more likely to take “life-threatening risks” which could lead to them dying, in a fight for example, or a car accident resulting from driving too fast.  What kind of differences are we talking about? What about the impact of female hormones? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What are the biggest misconceptions on beating heatwaves? What are the health benefits of using sex toys? Which foods should I avoid after their expiry date? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 29/1/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices