>>Dan Buettner: So no matter where you go
in the world, you see the same nine things
happening over and over and over among these
populations that are living longer.
First and foremost, I put them into four categories.
The first category I talk about is physical
activity.
And you never see these long-lived people
exercising, at least in the way we think of
exercising.
In fact, as a public health initiative in
this country, exercise has been an unmitigated
failure.
The average American burns fewer than 100-calories
a day engaged in exercise.
When you look at the environment, people who
live a long time, they are constantly nudged
into physical activity because their homes
are deconvenienced.
They live in communities where every time
they go to church, every time they go to a
friend's house, every time they go to the
store, it occasions a walk.
They have gardens.
The second category, also a category that
you don't hear much about when it comes to
longevity because there's nothing to market
you, is downshifting.
These people have the same stresses we do,
but what they have are rituals, prayer, meditation,
Sardinians do happy hour.
But to reverse the chronic inflammation that
accumulates after a day of stress.
Every major age-related disease, from Alzheimer's
to heart disease, has a common root in chronic
inflammation.
They have a strong sense of purpose, which
is worth about seven years of life expectancy.
Do you know the two years of your life, where
you are most likely to die?
The first one is the year you're born, because
of infant mortality, you can't do much about
that.
The second one is the year you retire.
Three-fold spike in mortality in the year
you retire.
[ Laughter ]
>>Dan Buettner: Is that because of the wild
retirement party?
No.
I assert it's because you all of a sudden
lose that work given sense of purpose and
then what do you do next?
