For the past decade or two, the potential extension of human life has been widely discussed, including in psychological circles. Numerous surveys have been conducted to determine if people would want to live much longer lives if it were possible. Of special interest has been the possibility of many, perhaps most of us, to live to be 100 years old, which is almost a quarter century beyond the current average lifespan in the United States. According to the New England Centenarian Study, just one American in 5,000 is currently a centenarian (85 percent of them women), making the prospect of any of us making it to the century mark appear to be highly improbable.

One might not know those long odds judging by the attention that hyperlongevity has received in scientific journals and the popular media, however. As in the past, the thinking goes, advances in medicine and health care will vastly extend lifespan, making it likely that a baby born today will celebrate their 100th birthday in 2124. Centenarians are now the fastest-growing age group, we’ve also been told, giving hope that we who are alive today may join the club.

What’s often left out of this discussion is that genetics........

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