And how to live to 100...
Now you know the secrets to a happy life, here’s how you can harness longevity...
On the Japanese island of Okinawa lies Ogimi, known as The Village Of Longevity, as it has the highest life expectancy in the world. Fascinated by the high number of centenarians, authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles spent months with the villagers to understand their lifestyle. They discovered what they believe is the key: ikigai, which translates as ‘the happiness of always being busy’, and means a sense of purpose or reason to live.
To find our own personal ikigai, we need to spend time doing an activity we enjoy so much that we lose all sense of time; something we’re naturally good at, but find difficult enough to be a challenge, such as cooking or painting. Many Ogimi villagers found their ikigai gardening.
Despite their age, they never stop this work. There is no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense of ‘leaving the workforce for good’, as in English. Instead, they carry on some form of work, which gives meaning to their days.
They have a strong sense of yuimaaru, ‘the connection between people’, and help one another, working in the fields and building houses. They also believe in smiling, and giving thanks for things that brighten their days. They don’t worry about things they can’t change and they try to live in the moment, not regretting the past or fearing the future. Their positive attitude enables them to cope with setbacks with resilience.
Their diet is largely responsible. They eat at least five servings of fruit and veg a day, fish three times a week, one third as much sugar as the rest of Japan and half the amount of salt. And they practise hara hachi bu, which involves stopping eating when they’re 80% full. Their food has a high nutritional value, so they get all they need from less.
One thing we should learn from the people of Ogimi, say the authors of Ikigai, is this: ‘Have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by people who love you.’