The Great Grandparenthood Boom, Predictive Irrationality and the Future of Caregiving

Will you be a great grandparent? How would you change your behavior if, at age 30, you knew you would live to age 105?

In many cultures grandparents take on a primary role in caring for children, providing stability, predictability, and wisdom. They are surrogate parents, keepers of family ties, transmitters of culture. Many grandparents are responsible for raising at least one grandchild. And some are also great grandparents. That is why the discovery of new gene variants that can tell us how long we’ll live is so important. It is important for the future of our great grandchildren.