Translational biomedical research into ageing and longevity needs to include social science if it is to produce interventions for slowing physiological decline (Nature 511, 405–407; 2014).

Promoting a healthy lifespan depends on social factors as well as on medical insight. Any study on caloric restriction, for instance, should consider the cultural background of participants.

Social science also needs to be incorporated into therapeutic investigations — for example, to understand why some individuals do not take their medication. Such insight would boost compliance and therefore drug effectiveness.