Dan Buettner has spent his career researching the world’s ‘Blue Zones’, where people are reportedly more likely to live to 100
An expert has shared one key ‘longevity investment’ that is crucial if you are keen to live to 100. Dan Buettner has spent his career sharing knowledge from the world’s elusive ‘Blue Zones’, where residents reportedly have a greater chance of becoming centenarians than ‘ordinary’ individuals.
Eating a plant-based diet, keeping your mind active with puzzles and even gardening are among the tips he recommends for a longer life, but there is one secret that is especially ‘overlooked’.
“It is one of the best longevity investments that you can make,” Dan said in a new TikTok video. “With social media, it’s increasingly hard to find authentic connections, real friends. But if you put as much time and resource on building up an immediate circle of friends, as you do with a diet or an exercise programme, you are going to find them.”
The best place to start with this is your phone contacts, according to Dan, who explained that you should single out a few new friends you would like to meet with.
He continued: “Go through your contacts and identify three or four friends who you like to hang out with, who are healthy to begin with, and you think might care about you on a bad day, and reach out to them.
“You be the one to invite them to lunch or invite them over to dinner and it takes three or four times of casual exchange with people before you cross that threshold from being an acquaintance to a friend. But it is one of the best longevity investments you can make.”
Dan certainly is not alone in his views either. A recent study from the University of South Australia tracked the daily activities of 397 adults to see what habits best support long-term health.
Results showed that while TV and video game consumption may worsen cognitive decline, other activities like chatting and even prayer have the potential to bolster brain health. Dr Maddison Mellow, who worked on the project, explained last year: “We found that sedentary behaviours which promote mental stimulation or social engagement – such as reading or talking with friends – are beneficial for cognitive function, whereas others like watching TV or gaming have a negative effect.
“So, the type of activity is important. And, while the ‘move more, sit less’ message certainly holds true for cardiometabolic and brain health, our research shows that a more nuanced approach is needed when it comes to thinking about the link between sedentary behaviours and cognitive function.”
The results come amidst growing concern for dementia, encompassing various conditions characterised by a progressive decline in cognitive abilities. In 2023, both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were leading killers in England and Wales with 66,876 deaths, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Dan’s thoughts come as a reported 45% of dementia cases could be prevented by making lifestyle changes. Last year, the University of Oxford pinpointed a lack of socialisation, alcohol and even pollution as potential risk factors, after evaluating 40,000 brain scans.
In light of such trends, Dan said in a previous video: “We spend almost $4billion a year searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a noble pursuit, but we spent almost nothing trying to prevent it …And it’s preventable by eating a Blue Zone diet, which is to say a whole food, plant-based diet.
“Getting at least 20 minutes of physical activity a day, not smoking and doing simple things like having a hobby and doing puzzles, or learning a new language. So, instead of wasting billions, let’s focus on a Blue Zone approach and we’ll see you when you’re 100.”
