Name: The Blue Zones
Rating: 4.3 (129 reviews)
Author: Dan Buettner

What’s in it for me? Discover the secret to living longer.

Throughout history, countless people have sought the proverbial fountain of youth and dreamed of immortality. Who knows, perhaps we’ll actually find it one of these days, but until then we’ll have to content ourselves with devising ways of living longer. But how?

Studying the areas in the world where people live the longest seems like a commonsensical first step. And by doing exactly that, we’ve already gained much understanding of what contributes to a long and healthy life.

As these blinks will show you, the key to living longer is neither magic nor rocket science. All you’ve got to do to significantly increase your life expectancy is make a few adjustments to your daily schedule. Some of them, like giving up smoking and exercising more, are already common knowledge. But there are also other, less obvious ways to live longer. These blinks will show you what they are.

You’ll also learn

what Danish twins can tell us about living longer;
why a liberal attitude toward sex increases life expectancy; and
that if you want to live to be 100, you should grow a garden.

This is a Blinkist staff pick

“If you’re eager to learn about far-flung spots around the world, and, on top of that, are curious to listen to what the oldest among us have to say about living a long and healthy life, I recommend The Blue Zones. The communities featured in these blinks have one unique thing in common: the longevity of their residents. Read on to find out what sets them apart from the rest of the planet.”

– Emily, User Engagement Lead at Blinkist

Blue Zones are the areas in the world where people get oldest and stay healthiest.

The world is full of unique civilizations and cultures, each with its own unique habits and customs, all adding to our global health and wellness. If you want to live longer, it’s worth investigating Blue Zones, the areas in the world where individuals, thanks to their healthy habits, grow older than people anywhere else.

One of the first areas to earn attention for its unusually long-living and healthy inhabitants was the Italian island of Sardinia. Research from 2011 found that, on average, around one in 600 people in the mountainous Barbagia region of Sardinia live to the age of 100, in contrast to one in 4,000 in the United States.

The Sardinians, and people in other Blue Zones, have a lot to teach us about how to live a long life – if we’re willing to listen.

As you’ll see, it’s not your genes, but your lifestyle that has the most significant affect on your lifespan. We see evidence of this in a Danish study on over 2,500 twins; it revealed that, out of all the factors contributing to longevity, our genes account for only about 25 percent.

The truth about living longer is that there are no lifestyle changes or magic pills that will stop the aging process. You will always age, every day, no matter what. However, the aging process can be accelerated or slowed down, and the people in Blue Zones have demonstrated effective ways of putting on the brakes.

In the end, the right lifestyle may give you an extra decade of quality life. Interestingly, centenarians are the fastest growing global age demographic, especially in the West.

And getting to be over 100 isn’t about getting the right vitamin supplements or planning out your physical activities. Rather, it’s about a more natural way of life, moving around naturally and eating more fruits and vegetables. All this becomes clear in examining the world’s Blue Zones.

Living longer means putting your family first and having a clear purpose to continue living.

Living longer isn’t all about what you put into your body, however. It’s also about how you exercise your mind. You need a driving force, a purpose!

Statistics show that more Americans die in the first year of retirement than in the last year of work. This fact suggests that living on without a purpose can be harmful to your health. You’ve got to have something that motivates you to get out of bed every morning.

You’ll live longer if you are part of a community.

The Blue Zones of the world are always small and functioning communities. But why does this social structure contribute to longevity?

You learned in the last blink how important a family support network is for Blue Zones. Similarly, the wider community provides a sense of belonging – a reason to go on.

Physical activity and stress reduction should be part of your daily habits if you want to live longer.

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the things you should do to extend your lifetime. In this final blink, we’ll talk about something that you should absolutely avoid: stress.

All Blue Zones use methods to reduce stress, each of them different. For example, in Sardinia stress is kept in check by a sense of community and a good sense of humor. People don’t take themselves too seriously there, and they can all enjoy a hearty laugh at their own expense.

Key ideas in The Blue Zones

What is The Blue Zones about?

The Blue Zones (2012, first published in 2008) whisks you through the regions of the world with the highest concentrations of healthy centenarians. By examining how people in these regions live and interact, we gain insight into how to extend our own lifespans.

This is a Blinkist staff pick

“If you’re eager to learn about far-flung spots around the world, and, on top of that, are curious to listen to what the oldest among us have to say about living a long and healthy life, I recommend The Blue Zones. The communities featured in these blinks have one unique thing in common: the longevity of their residents. Read on to find out what sets them apart from the rest of the planet.”

– Emily, User Engagement Lead at Blinkist