Mario Martinez

Biocognitive Science Institute, USA

Title: How Longevity is Culturally Learned and the Causes of Health Are Inherited: Lessons from Centenarians

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Biography

Mario E Martinez is a clinical neuropsychologist. In 1998 he developed his theory of Biocognitive Science based on research that demonstrates how thoughts and their biological expression coemerge within a cultural history.

Abstract

From our molecules to our cognitions the cultural interpretations we make of our world affect our biology. Unwittingly, longevity science studies diets, supplements, lifestyle, and other known contributors to wellness as if we were passive recipient of self-in-the-world. Our meaning-maker interprets our internal and external environments mostly based on cultural parameters learned to maximize the contextual relevance of our experiences. These biocognitive interpretations (mind, body, culture), we make affect our nervous, immune, and endocrine regulations by enhancing or diminishing interventions for wellness longevity. The meaning-making component I propose embraces a convergence of biology, cognition, and culture, emphasizing how deeply interwoven our subjective experiences are with our physiological health. The notion that cultural interpretations affect our biology suggests that the meaning we ascribe to our lives and the world around us isn't just a passive, abstract process, but actively shapes the way our body functions, adapts, and reacts. I will present evidence from my research with healthy centenarians of how we perceive and emote our world affects stress and inflammatory processes.