Recent data released is showing Hawaii has the longest life expectation of any of the US states. Hawaiians are not known for their strict adherence to any particular diet or exercise regime. They are also not known for the most optimal BMIs. In my SuperAge conversation with strength and conditioning coach Joel Jamieson, we learned he spent most of his year in Hawaii specifically because of the longevity aspects. He told me the key was the lack of stress Hawaiians have. If you recall, Joel is the go-to strength and conditioning coach for combat athletes, and is one of the least woo-woo people you can imagine.
Some decades ago, Dan Buettner coined the Blue Zones by doing research on why some people in certain parts of the world lived longer. Was it the purple potatoes? Was it the beans? Was it some other factor? Having spent time in Hawaii with locals, I can assure you it is not what they are eating — Spam and roast pig are pretty high on the food preference list there. Having personally spent time in parts of the world where people seem to live healthily for a very long time, the commonality would seem to be the lack of chronic stress. These are tight communities, people feel purpose, they allow themselves to experience a lot of daily joy, and they tend to live rather consistent circadian lives: there is not a lot of late night activity or jet lag happening in these places. Of course human biology is massively complex, and pegging longevity on a single factor is a fool’s errand, but I have yet to speak to any medical science person who thinks chronic stress is a good idea.
Short-term stresses, like exercise or learning a new language, are net positives, but stressors like loneliness, fear of the future, or even worries about the tear in the screen door are not. Of the 4 big factors that we feel are important to SuperAging — sleep, nutrition, movement, stress management — it is the latter that is probably the most impactful, and one that we can all improve for no cost. Smiling is my favorite longevity and wellness tool. Smiling with others will magnify the effect. Laughing, looking with joy at the wonders around us, acknowledging that this life we have, while not without it challenges, is pretty amazing. Nice things are nice and, being humans, we are attuned to how we are perceived in the world. We have no problem with living an abundant life, but smiling is free and we can do it as much as we like whenever we feel like.
I have not witnessed any particular Hawaiian meditation techniques, exercise regimes, or fasting protocols. Maybe they exist; I am not aware of them. What I have seen is a base level of happiness and enjoyment of life that is contagious. Remember that us being happy, and low stress, is a North Star for others. Others see us, and they will tend to mirror how we are feeling.
Onward and upward,
David
