Dan Buettner has made it his life’s work to investigate the habits of the longest-living people in six elusive ‘Blue Zones’ across the world
A longevity specialist has spotlighted a surprising behaviour that ‘may help you live longer’ – though it could require some big changes. Dan Buettner has made it his life’s work to investigate the habits of the longest-living people in six elusive ‘Blue Zones’ across the world.
These small regions are celebrated for their astonishing number of centenarians, with residents reportedly ’10 times more likely to live to 100′ than individuals in the United States. Loma Linda in California, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, and, most recently added, Singapore are all considered Blue Zones.
While Dan has previously stressed that staying active, eating more plant-based foods, and even gardening more can help in the pursuit of living longer, sustaining these activities might be a challenge. That’s why he’s now advocating another change that could be a game-changer for making progress over time.
“One of the biggest myths is that we can get on a ‘diet’ [to] eat healthier for longevity – and that fails for almost everybody almost all of the time,” the 64-year-old said in a recent post to TikTok.
“But what we do know that works is surrounding ourselves with a few people who we know eat healthy. We know that health behaviours are measurably contagious. In other words, if you are drinking, if you are doing drugs, if you are sitting around eating wieners and drinking soda pops, and I hang out with you, I’m way more likely to pick up those behaviours.”
Dan certainly isn’t alone in his thoughts. A wealth of scientific research supports the notion that our behaviours are heavily influenced by those we associate with, including a standout Harvard study from 2007.
This research scrutinised a ‘densely interconnected social network’ of 12,067 individuals and found that if a person had an obese friend, their chances of becoming obese themselves rose by 57%. If one partner in a marriage also became obese within a specific timeframe, the likelihood of the other partner following suit increased by 37%.
Meanwhile, having a sibling who became obese would boost your own risk by 40%. This is particularly relevant as obesity significantly heightens the risk of heart disease – one of the leading causes of death globally.
Peer influence is not confined to eating habits either. In 2013, another study found that a friend’s level of physical activity could dramatically influence another individual’s overall fitness.
This was concluded following analyses of 13 studies, specifically emphasising children and young people. Amidst such trends, Dan continued: “So, a much better strategy [than] buying into the fairytale that you are going to start with a New Year’s resolution and eat better with a new diet, you’re much better off to make a few friends who are eating healthy.
“It’s not a bad idea to have a vegan or vegetarian in your immediate social circle. Am I telling you [that] you have to be vegan yourself? No. But I am telling you that the research is very clear – that if you are eating a whole food, plant-based diet, and that diet is delicious, you are way more likely to live longer.
“The best way to do it is make friends who eat that way because every time you go to their house, they are going to serve you that food. Every time you guys go out to eat, there are going to be healthy whole food, plant-based options.
“And when they come to your house, they are going to expect you to serve it to them. So, it’s going to be in your house. That’s the way we live longer. I’ll see you when you are 100.”
