The Secret To Longevity: Living a Long and Fulfilled Life

We see these trends everyday. Do this everyday to live longer. The one exercise to ensure your longevity. The one habit to a healthier life. This is the secret to live a long and fulfilled life…

And I get it. Reducing everything down to a single habit or product to ensure our health and longevity is an attractive proposition, but most of these people are just trying to sell something or drive more views to their website.

While I can say that the secret is that there is no single secret, I won’t. We already know from extensive investigations into the Blue Zones of the world that longevity comes down to numerous factors such as nutrition, physical activity, community, and many more.

However, there is one thing that seems to be repeating theme everywhere.

Why do you live?

One of the crucial factors of longevity and satisfaction with quality of life is purpose. Why are you alive? Do you feel like your life has meaning?

This was largely an unsatisfying answer for doctors and scientists for a long time. How is it that something as simple and abstract as life’s purpose can be more important than something like medication? After years of study, there isn’t much argument against this.

Study after study shows that outcomes in nursing homes and assisted living facilities significantly improve when the residents feel like they have a purpose for living.

Think about it. As we grow older and more frail, our independence seems to get taken away from us. This is a common pattern. As our memory fades and our physical abilities lessen, our locus of control contracts. Once safety seems to be compromised our home, privacy, possessions, and purpose get stripped of us as we are placed into the care of an institution.

This isn’t without wholesome intent. We care about our elders, which is why safety is such a paramount concern. However, this makes the sunset years of our lives completely devoid of meaning.

Why do you live? Why do you wake up every morning? A notable study once showed that simply giving a nursing home resident the responsibility of keeping a plant alive can have significant positive impacts on their quality of life.

Lessons from the Blue Zones

For those unfamiliar, blue zones are areas in the world with unusually high concentrations of individuals who live past 100.

Numerous studies have been conducted in these regions to find the “secret” to their longevity. The mistake was that their focus was too narrow. They tried looking for the hidden formula for nutrition or the holy grail of exercise programs. It turns out that there is a large cluster of factors that contribute to their longevity and wellness.

This supercharged wellness extended far beyond the physical. These people were much happier and fulfilled than most around the world. We can easily replicate nutrition and exercise, yet results did not seem to translate very effectively. So what was missing?

Delving deeper into the common themes of these regions, almost every elder in these regions maintained a purpose and meaning for their life. Whether that meant they had a hobby, family, job, or engaged in their community, these people still had a reason to wake up and get out of bed each day.

A lifeless atmosphere

Think about it. If all it took to live a long and fulfilled life was to make sure that our meat suit was well taken care of, longevity would not be a mystery. Imagine a life where your daily living was reduced to eating a square meal, staying hydrated, exercising, and taking medication. Your bed time and wake up time is strictly regulated. You’re prohibited from engaging in anything remotely risky. You no longer have any privacy and can’t even lock the door to your residence.

You only get to keep what can fit into a small dresser and cubby. Entertainment and recreation is determined by a committee that only has a small interest in what you’re interested in. You’re not even sure if you like the people you’re surrounded by.

How long would you last here?

When purpose and meaning are stripped away from our lives, our lives have no meaning. These folks tend to do very poorly in their elder years.

Dr. Bill Thomas came up with a simple but elegant solution: inject life into the lifeless atmosphere of nursing homes. He transformed the entire culture of a nursing home by bringing animals, living plants, a garden, and children into the facility. The change was staggering. The residents who never socialized with anyone started to speak. They volunteered to care for the animals. It seemed as if they had come back to life.

The important part is to not get confused with the deeper principle. It wasn’t that the place became more fun (although we have to admit, that is probably part of it). These residents were given a purpose for their daily life.

Live a life of meaning

This is easier said than done, especially in one’s later years. Most of us have some sort of purpose in our daily lives whether that is a career, caring for family, personal projects, side hustles, or even getting together with friends to engage in a shared hobby.

The secret that we need to put forth more effort into implementing is making sure we don’t strip our elders of their purpose and independence. This can be as simple as letting them stay in their own home. Allow them to engage in hobbies with their community. Let them go to church. Listen, and let them lead their lives.