About the Quest

The Expedition Unfolds

Destination: An idyllic Greek isle with mythological associations and a population consisting mainly of farmers and fishermen.

Objective: To determine exactly how the island became home to some of the longest-living people in the world.

Methodology: Ask the residents questions—lots of questions. What do they eat? What is their daily regimen? What are their spiritual beliefs? What are their family and social dynamics? What gives their life a sense of purpose?

The Expedition begins April 20 and ends May 1. You can be a "virtual" member of the team by voting each day on the direction the Quest will take next.

An advance party—team leader Dan Buettner, demographer Michel Poulain, and video producer Damian Petrou—has already spent a week on-site verifying birth and death records. Their work was preceded by three months of analysis to identify this latest region.

“Despite all the preliminary research, we're never sure what we will find, how it will differ from or be similar to findings from other Blues Zones,” says Dan. “That's what makes it exciting. That's why we call it an expedition.” Learn about the world's other Blue Zones.

Among the things he thinks may differentiate this region from other Blue Zone regions is that it is more mountainous and the slopes are steeper than, say, on Okinawa. How does this affect water quality? Does topography impact long and healthy life? Are the herbs found at higher altitudes full of nutrients not found elsewhere?

And then there is that fairly intangible quality that is not so easy to measure, but which has been an important indicator of longevity in other Blue Zones: a strong sense of purpose.

“I've begun to discern a specific vocabulary for ‘sense of purpose’ from region to region,” says Dan. “In Japan it's called ikigai—‘reason I wake up.’ In Costa Rica it's plan de vida—‘life plan.’”

It could be the weekly trip to the market, regular attendance at church, or family gatherings and celebrations—or a combination of them all. The team never knows what it will be, nor the words that will define it. But they do know that if there is a “pill” for longevity—a reason for being, a need to stay alive—it contains a healthy measure of ikigai.