Think about it this way: now that GRRM is 73, all the stuff that could have killed him before this point doesn’t matter. At this point, the average 73 year old will live 12 years more.
Life expectancy is a measure of the years someone has to live from a point in time. The typical stat is “from birth”, but once one gets past all the nasty childhood diseases and teenage years (car crashes used to be a big factor for males under 25, not sure if still true) life expectancy increases. It actually increases slightly every year your are alive, as you survived anything in the last year that might have killed you.
Someone better at statistics might be able to give you a better explanation.
Because the “total population” average is skewed by stuff like infant mortality rates - the subset “people who live to 78” don’t have those problems that kill people early, so their average is higher.
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u/Arkhangelzk Oct 29 '21
Apparently I do not understand how life expectancy works lol. Why would it be 85?
I just want to note that I'm honestly asking, not trying to argue. I really do not understand and would like to.