IBL #2

Click this button after your journey

Click here to begin your journey across the blue zones

Blue Zones

Does social connectivity correlate to higher life expectancy in blue zones?

45%

Socially isolated people have a

of getting sick with a common cold

20%

of Americans above 65

Are SOCIALLY ISOLATED

Let's start our exploration to understand the impacts social connectivity can have on our health. 20% of Americans today say they are socially isolated and lonely. Loneliness is a signal sent you our body when we need social connection, just like hunger and thirst. Loneliness increases chances of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Loneliness also increases the chances of a early death by 26%. This is higher than smoking and obesity. It's safe to say that loneliness has devastating impacts on our health, and can lower our lifespan drastically, so healthy social practices are obvious solutions. Let's see what some of the other effects of a lack of social connectivity.

LOMA LINDA, UNITED STATES

NICOYA, COSTA RICA

35% of the people in 143 countries experience stress.

No one likes being stressed, and our body definitly doesn't. Stress is actually a natural reaction created from our body. For example, imagine you are in front of a lion, ready to eat you. Your obviously stressed, and your body's reaction will be to stop producing immune cells and produce hormones to tolerate the incoming pain. Hopefully, this situation never happens, however, whenever our mind is stressed, our body decreases the production of immune cells necessary to fight cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other life threatening health problems. So, stress will make you more prone to diseases that can increase your risk of death. Now that we now the consequences (loneliness and stress) that arise from a lack of social connectivity, let's see some of the solutions and habits that keep our blue zone centarians safe from these issues.

"Be wary of the company you keep for they are a reflection of who you are, or who you want to be" - Kenneth G. Ortiz

SARDINIA, ITALY

What do the blue zones do to combat stress and loneliness? The first thing we can learn from blue zones is that they associate themselves with good, healthy company. They choose to be friends with people that strive to live as long as possible, and cultivate postive and healthy habits with them. Together, they motivate each other to make healthy decisions regarding food and exercise and also get to socialize with them. So a major aspect of social connectivity is to connect with people that will make you better not worse.

IKARIA, GREECE

The second solution is by increasing social connection within the community. In Ikaria, after work, people go to bars to hangout and relax with their friends. After drinking a moderate amount they head home and sleep peacefully and stress-free. Socializing at the pub also kept them from feeling lonely. In many other blue zones, we see constant interaction within the community after work hours to relieve stress.

The last and final habit is to live close to family. Many blue zone centarians around the world live close to their families, and have extended families living close by too. This creates a strong bond and promotes social interaction on a daily basis.

OKINAWA, JAPAN

Our final stop on this blue zone tour will be in Okinawa, Japan. Let's discuss the third habit that increases social connectivity in blue zones. This is the concept of "moais" or purpose groups. More commonly found in Japan, there are many examples of these seen in other blue zones. These purpose groups provide societal support for their members in times of need. Each Okinawan citizen has a purpose which they are meant to follow until their death, so there is basically no retirement. Even if it is a trivial task, these Okinawans will do it until their last breath. This keeps them motivated and makes them feel engaged in society, which leads to a lack of loneliness.

THANK YOU!

CONCLUSION

As we looked at these blue zones and how they use social connectivity to promote healthy habits to prevent the impacts stress and loneliness have on our body, we discovered many habits that we can include in our life as well. I think people should care about my question because it can help everyone live longer and healthier. As highschoolers, we experience a lot of stress so it will benefit is by reducing that stress and helping us live longer.