Biohacking Will Go Mainstream

The fixation on ultra-masculine virility is changing how men understand their health

- By Colleen Derkatch

Depending on how broadly you define it, the global wellness industry may be worth as much as $6 trillion.

That’s even more than big pharma. The industry’s runaway success isn’t surprising; there’s always more we can do to restore and enhance our bodies and minds. If I’m tired or feeling low, I can take melatonin or ashwagandha. Even if they work, there will always be another supplement or product promising to make me well again. The idea of wellness has no ceiling.

In fact, there is only one limitation on the market: gender. By and large, women have been the primary targets of wellness products and services. But selling self-care and comfort to men is not just a matter of slapping whiskered faces on packaging and forest-scented products on shelves. To capture the male market, wellness needs a masculine rebrand.

Enter biohacking. The idea has been around for decades in Silicon Valley, where the culture of life optimization focuses on the systematic improvement of every aspect of our lives and bodies. In its early days, biohacking was reserved for cloistered tech types and wealthy eccentrics—people like venture capitalist Bryan Johnson, who has spent millions of dollars trying to extend his life, ideally forever, with a slew of supplements, gadgets and algorithms. In his effort to defy death, Johnson has even infused himself with his teenage son’s plasma.