Living to 100 is such an achievement that British centenarians receive a birthday message from the monarch. The royal stamp-lickers increasingly have their work cut out. In 1917, when George V began the tradition, they sent out 24 such greetings. In 2014 Elizabeth II’s flunkies sent 7,500. Better living standards and medical advances explain the increase. Now efforts to actively slow ageing are also taking wing. Behind them are a coterie of ambitious scientists and enthusiastic billionaires. If they succeed, making it to 120 could become a perfectly reasonable aspiration.

Whether it is possible to live that long is one matter. Whether you’d want to is another entirely. As Maurice Chevalier quipped, “Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” In fact, getting old has one big upside: happiness. One of our most popular articles (itself with an impressive lifespan) explains why the “U-bend” theory of life suggests your most contented years are ahead of you.