Is longevity the new flex? Why the new wellness status game is all about health data

At some point between padel and pickleball on a recent weekend away with friends, the conversation drifted to a place it has never ventured before: Whose resting heart rate had dipped lowest overnight? Whose sleep score had held up despite the wine?

I am still thrown by that conversation. Once we discussed holidays and villas; now we are talking about heart rate variability and recovery scores. Wrists are still held out mid-conversation, but instead of proffering the latest Rolex or Patek release, we are comparing health markers across the different rings and smartwatches permanently adorning our fingers and wrists.