Committed relationships can shape behaviors and a healthy, long-lived life

Recently, on movie night, my family watched a few episodes of “Down to Earth with Zac Efron” on Netflix. In this series, the actor and Darin Olien, a wellness expert, travel the world to find allegedly healthy, sustainable ways to live. Some of the information presented needs verification (as would be expected from entertainment), and one topic, the world’s “Blue Zones,” was compelling enough that it made me look for the source.

STUDYING THE ‘BLUE ZONES’

Author and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner and his colleagues named the blue zones (because of the colored pen they used to circle these zones on a map) when researching how 70,000 Americans reached their 100th birthday in 2016 when the average life expectancy is 78.2. Their research led them to find five pockets of people around the world who have the highest life expectancy, or the highest portions of people who reach age 100. Next, they brought together a team of experts to search for evidence-based common denominators among the five pockets.

The team was able to identify nine common denominators, known as the “Power 9” (see bluezones.com/2016/11/power-9/# ), which include:

1. Move naturally. This movement results from natural functioning, such as cleaning or going for a walk in nature.
2. Purpose. Okinawans call it “Ikigai,” waking each day with a knowledge of why. Knowing your purpose can add up to seven years to your life.
3. Down shifting. The longest-lived people have routines that destress: In one zone, it was prayer. In another, it was napping. In another, happy hour.
4. The 80% rule. This Confucian mantra, which is said before meals, reminds Okinawans to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
5. Plant slant. Beans are the mainstay of the centenarian diet.
6. Wine @ 5. Those in blue zones drank alcohol (one to two glasses per day) with friends and/or food.
7. Belong. Attending faith-based services four times per month added up to 14 years of life expectancy.
8. Loved ones first. Centenarians keep aging parents nearby or in their home. They invest in a life partner, love and spend time with their children.
9. Right tribe. This is a commitment to social circles that support healthy behaviors.

COMMIT TO SOCIAL CIRCLES

Of all the “Power 9,” “right tribe” has the most impact. In Mr. Buettner’s words:

“The world’s longest lived people chose — or were born into — social circles that supported healthy behaviors: Okinawans created ‘moais’ — groups of five friends that committed to each other for life.”

In his Ted Talk, “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest Study on happiness” (bit.ly/TEDWaldinger ), psychiatrist Robert Waldinger agrees that of the seven big predictors (that we can control) of being happy-well, the single most important one is healthy relationships. He says, “There are two pillars of happiness… One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”

Let the summer of 2022 be known as the summer we rekindle those right friendships. Go to dinner with friends. Be a friend someone can count on to be there no matter what. Your life, your happiness, and theirs depends on it. OM

Email: april.jasper@pentavisionmedia.com

Twitter: @DrAprilJasper

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