Scientists have found people living in “blue zone” areas live longer and are happier.

How many of us want to live in relative peace, prosperity, and happiness and wonder if where we’re living will provide that for us? Well, researchers wanted to answer that question, too.

According to data from the CDC from December 2022, life expectancy in the United States has dropped to 76.4 years, the lowest number since 1996. Several factors, including a public health crisis-level outbreak of loneliness, are blamed for this.

There are places in the world, however, where traditional ways of doing things have mostly stopped modern progress. These ways of doing things help people live longer, healthier, and more meaningful lives. So, maybe it’s time to rethink how Americans think about health and well-being by looking at places that are known as “blue zones.”

People who live to be almost 100 years old and have an above-average quality of life are said to live in “blue zones.” Six living factors make these groups Blue Zones. These include moving around naturally, eating plant-based foods, having a sense of purpose, following the 80% rule, being part of a group, and learning how to deal with stress.

According to the standard suspects, like diet and activity level, people in Blue Zones live longer for several reasons. Loma Linda, California, a Seventh-Day Adventist community where citizens lead a healthy life based on religion, is one of the Blue Zones in the United States. But that’s only one factor there.

A poll found that the following 10 places in the United States are “blue zones”:

The city of Loma Linda in California is now one of the five official “blue zones” in the United States and around the world.

One of the five happiest cities in the United States is San Luis Obispo, California. It also has very good health data. There are only 24.5% of obese people in the city, 72.0% of adults who eat healthy all day, and only 40.2% of adults who are stressed every day.

Many of the nice things about Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, are said to be the same as those in other highly ranked U.S. cities. Barnstable has many good things about it, like easily accessible green areas, reports of residents feeling useful and productive during the day, and more social hours in the city.

With an expected life span of 82.1 years, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut, has one of the best life expectancies in the United States. It is higher than Loma Linda, which has an expected life span of 78.8 years.

High on the list of criteria is Charlottesville, VA, which was put third on the list of the happiest cities. There are ways for people in this place to improve their health, their finances, their ability to participate in government, and their ability to learn new things.

The city of Boulder, Colorado, is thriving and growing. National Geographic says that Boulderites feel active and useful every day. This is because they have a sense of community, can access nature, and live in a city with sustainable development and preservation policies. Another factor could be the clean mountain air. The fact that more people in Boulder walk to work than anywhere else in the US may also contribute to their happiness.

Fort Collins, Colorado, has a lot of nature to see and do, and the business is strong. In addition, Fort Collins is surrounded by nature, which makes it one of the happy places to live in the US (#4). This naturally meets all the goals.

Also, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida, is one of the 25 towns with the healthiest diets. 75.3% of adults there say they eat healthy all day, 19.5% of adults there are obese, and only 27.9% say they are stressed every day.

Hawaii is worth exploring in the Blue Zone area because people there live to be over 80 years old, and there are 585 centenarians. A “community-wide well-being improvement program that helps make healthy choices easier for everyone in Hawaii” is what the Blue Zones Project in Hawaii is all about.

One outstanding factor is the 80% rule, which indicates that people in Blue Zones worldwide should only eat until they are 80% full. In this way, lowering calorie intake has been linked to living longer. Also, people were watched to eat more slowly so they would not overeat and could learn how full they were. Also, they do not eat a big dinner at night; instead, they eat a small meal late in the day.

What are the characteristics, overall, that distinguish a blue zone from a different type of city? Several factors are outstanding in each of these areas, and they include:

Movement: Exercise has promoted our health in various ways. It is so beneficial that it can reduce the risk of death by 20–39%, depending on the activity level. However, individuals in Blue Zones were found to exercise so that it occurs naturally in their daily lives.

Plant-based Diets: The food we put in our bodies significantly impacts our health. The most well-researched Blue Zones were found to follow a strict plant-based diet, meaning up to 95% of the foods they consume include vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts.

Following the 80% Rule: People living in Blue Zones worldwide engaged in the 80% rule, only eating until they are 80% full. Reduced caloric intake has been linked to a longer lifespan.

A Sense of Purpose: Phrases such as “Ikigai” or “plan de vida” are associated with many individuals living in blue zone communities worldwide.

Community: A multifaceted and complex topic that plays a central role in blue zones. Three primary components make up the ideal of ‘community’:

Faith: Many blue zones have a religious center or belief system. Regardless of denomination, attending faith services has been shown to add years to one’s life.

Families First: Blue zone individuals and centenarians have a habit of keeping their families close, committing to their partners, and putting effort into their children. Having people to care about and for you is essential to a healthy life cycle. This involves moving closer to your family as you age and having children who can take care of you in old age.

Social circles: Surrounding yourself with individuals who follow healthy habits and ideals can be contagious in a community. As in Okinawa, finding a close-knit group, or “moais,” can benefit your overall health.

Managing Stress: Living a long and healthy life means learning how to manage stress. Stress has been found to have various negative health effects and is associated with age-related diseases.

Are these identified zones perfect, and will anyone living in one of them be ensured of a longer life? No, that’s not the case, but following the broad-stroke rules for longevity may apply to anywhere we live, and that’s the good news. Of course, stress is one of the major factors in all of this, and that’s where we must make changes to maintain our health, happiness, and sense of purpose. Learning where appropriate groups that can assist us in our later years is also necessary. For anyone who is a caregiver, there is a place for help and direction: the Caregiver Action Network.

Begin now to make the changes you need in your life. Doing so can also ease some stresses as you add up additional birthdays. It can be a better time in an age of longevity.