The secret of longevity: Finding ikigai in Sweden
Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- A feature examines what Japanese centenarians and older Swedes may share in their search for a meaningful life.
- A study published in Nature links Japan’s longevity partly to a diet rich in fish and vegetables and low in red meat and sugary drinks.
- Daily exercise, including the three-minute Radio Taiso routine, is cited as another possible factor.
Japan’s centenarians may know something about living a meaningful life, and a new study suggests that older people in Sweden may also be onto something.
When the Japanese government released figures last autumn on healthy people aged 100 and over, the number was close to 100,000. One explanation, according to a study published in Nature, is the country’s diet, which mainly consists of fish and vegetables, with less red meat and fewer sugary drinks.
Everyday movement may offer another part of the answer. The article also points to Radio Taiso, a three-minute exercise routine followed by both young and older people in Japan.
Together, these habits are presented as clues for finding an ikigai, or a meaningful purpose in life, in a form that may also speak to Sweden’s older population.
About this summary
Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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