Dear Biohackers, The Secrets to Longevity Are Simpler Than You Think

In a world of health trackers built to optimize, we propose choosing joy over deprivation and community over navel-gazing. The research agrees.

- LIZ BRODY

If you haven't been following the biohacking mania, there are 24 viral seconds of Bryan Johnson on Tik Tok that are a good place to start. As the video begins, he turns longingly to his then-17-year-old son. "I'm feeling a little low," he says as the two sit side by side, shirtless, arms extended, phlebotomist-style. The teen makes a fist and (with the help of a few sci-fi video tricks) a metallic compartment in his forearm opens, revealing a vial of blood. "I got you, Dad," he replies, taking it and handing it to his father.

The clip, posted in April, is a play on a real-life plasma infusion Johnson, 47, got from his son-one of his many attempts to reverse aging at all costs, which for him, apparently runs $2 million a year. He is definitely one of the most extreme biohackers, and, I confess, a little addicting to follow. An ex-Mormon farm boy who sold his company, Braintree Venmo, to PayPal for $800 million, he's turned his obviously bright mind on the business of himselfconstantly testing, scanning, and monitoring everything from testosterone to telomeres to calculate how fast he's aging, including the number of nighttime erections ("Better than the average 18-year-old," he boasts). At times, he'll post nudes, his bulging musculature courtesy of 800pound leg presses, a strict diet (mostly vegan, no winetoo many calories), and some 100 supplements a day. Perhaps most notable, and widely discussed, is his skin, which can only be described as #vampirepale with a Madame Tussauds waxy sheen.