A joie de vivre by any other name
By now, you're well aware of many of the basic strategies for living longer: exercise; eat a healthy diet full of lots of organic fruits, veggies, and lean sources of grass-fed protein; and, of course, don't smoke. There are also some alternative approaches to longevity that have become more mainstream over the years -- things like multivitamins, antioxidants, and green tea. But even if you're a firm believer in all of these approaches to living longer and have adopted them as a part of your daily life, there's still one indispensable longevity factor that I'd be willing to bet has escaped your notice. So, let me ask: Have you checked in on your "ikigai" lately? "Ikigai" is a Japanese term meaning "joy and a sense of well-being from being alive," and, as metaphysical as it might sound, a recent study showed that it actually plays a major role in your risk of an early death. Researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan tracked a group of over 43,000 subjects for seven years. At the study's outset, all of the subjects were asked whether they had "ikigai" in their lives. During the course of the study, 3,048 of the subjects died. Based on the answers to the initial question, the researchers determined that people with no sense of ikigai were 50 percent more likely overall to die within the next several years. Death risk from cardiovascular incidents like heart attacks and strokes were even higher, at 60 percent. Maintaining that zest for life may be easier said than done at times, but taking care of yourself and feeling healthy so that you can continue to take pleasure in your friends, family, and all of the activities you've come to enjoy over the years can go a long way in helping you see that proverbial cup as "half full." Source:
"Lack of joy in life ups early death risk: study," Reuters Health News, 9/1/08 | 
