Longevity myths or longevity traditions are myths and traditions about longevity. The phrase "longevity myth" refers to the tendency of most cultures to inflate the ages of elders, as a sociocultural artifact. Occasionally, "longevity myth" is also used its nontechnical sense). Longevity myths may also refer to "diets, drugs, alchemy, physical practices, and certainly also mental states" that have been believed to confer greater human longevity, especially in Oriental culture.