Longevity Studies
Have you ever heard about the Blue Zones of Longevity? This is not some fictional location out of a novel, and nor is it one single phenomenon where people live to a non-sensical age. Rather, the Blue Zones are specific regions around the world, with significantly higher numbers of centenarians. In other words, these locations are made up of people who live longer than the average life expectancy. Therefore it is natural that scientists would like to study these communities, to try to work out what they do to extend their longevity.
Does Longevity depend of good genes?
Indeed there seem to be clusters of long lived people in families, or certain communities, but there is more to the story than simply family genetics. When scientists set about to learn about the secret to longevity, they suspected that genetics played a significant role. And it probably does. But the surprising fact is that genetics is not the most significant factor at play. Evidence for this statement is provided by a glance at a map of the world – the Blue Zones are scattered in a wide range of locations around the globe, so there is no single genetic connection.
So what is the secret to Longevity?
You might be surprised to know that longevity does not necessarily depend on the genes you were born with. Lifestyle plays a significant role, and this is where it becomes interesting. Especially for scientists who like to do research into longevity, because we always to find out the reason for these things!
The Blue Zones of Longevity
So this is where science get interesting, and this is where they tend to focus more research – especially in those special communities with larger proportions of centenarians. Interestingly, there are pockets of extremely long lived people scattered around in different parts of the world. These longevity hot spots are known as “The Blue Zones”. These include places like Nicoya in Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, and especially on the island of Okinawa in Japan. These hot spots for longevity have a significantly higher number of centenarians per head of population that other parts of the world. These people are happily, healthily and successfully living full and active lives, well into their 90’s, and even beyond 100 years of age!
What is their secret to living a long and happy life?
The first question we hear at the birthday party for a 100 year old is – “How did you do it?” or “What is the secret to living to be 100 years old?” And guess what the answer is – Nothing! One old person says “I never smoked in my life”, but another one does smoke (despite the hazard to good health). One person says “I never drank a drop in my life”, but someone else says “I always have a glass of sherry each day”. One person says “I have good genes, all my family lived to a ripe old age”, but the next person says “I don’t know what the secret is, I am the only one in the family still alive!”
So the only conclusion that can be drawn from the studies is that old age is not necessarily in our genes, nor is there one single diet which is best, nor one single lifestyle habit.
So, what is the secret to Longevity?
As the scientists have discovered, there is no single secret to a happy and long life, but there are several clues. Researchers are naturally able to focus in on areas where there are significant numbers of people living beyond the standard life expectancy. But the significant aspect about these people with wonderful longevity is that they are living much longer with wonderful good health.
Not only good health, but also with happiness, fulfillment and contentment! Sounds like a good model for us all!
Contrast this with the common association of old age with frailty, arthritis, loss of mobility and dementia. I know that I would prefer to enjoy to live longer and have good health!
So what are the tricks to living longer, happier and healthier?
You might be surprised to learn that one of the keys to longevity, and something that each of the Blue Zone Communities had in common – social connectivity. Each of these communities have a culture of support for the elderly, but not in the way the western societies deal with old age.
For example, many of the Blue Zones don’t believe in a concept of retirement! There is no expectation that after retirement, all there is to do is sit in a comfy chair with a blanket over your knees.
A Sense of Community
In these tight knot and sociable societies, everyone has a contribution to make to the community, and everyone has a strong sense of purpose for their lives. That means that old age is not seen as a time to stop any form of meaningful employment. Similarly, the elderly are not treated as the aged and infirm, who are not capable of doing any meaningful work. While there is a strong sense of belonging to community, there is always a contribution that can be made to the social network, and importantly, some benefit that can be received.
So happy, contented and fulfilled people continue to contribute well into their old age, and these people reap the benefits of a strong sense of social connectivity. And they reap the benefit from a strong sense of purpose in their lives, which keeps them active, motivated, and provides a zest for life.
The secret to Longevity is Purpose!
Most of us dream about retiring with lots of spare time and lots of spare money! But this can be a recipe for problems later in life! In actual fact, the secret to a long and happy old age is actually not about retiring to an armchair. But more about finding purpose! Enjoy the work that you love to do, and actually continuing to make a contribution to the community in which we belong.
