The Real-Life Quest of “Indiana Jones of Aging” Dan Buettner

It’s 7 am in Miami, and while most of the city is just starting to wake up, Dan Buettner has already walked to the beach, grabbed a coffee with oat milk, and sat down for his daily breakfast: a hearty minestrone packed with beans and vegetables. 

At 63, Buettner could easily pass for a decade younger, and he moves through his day with the energy and enthusiasm of someone half his age. His secret? He’s spent the past 20 years uncovering the lifestyles of the world’s longest-lived people and implementing their practices in his own life.

As a National Geographic explorer and New York Times bestselling author, Buettner has scoured the globe for the secrets to longevity. His groundbreaking research on “Blue Zones”—the five Healthiest places on earth where people regularly live to 100 and beyond—has revealed the key habits and practices that can add up to a decade to the average lifespan. From the Mediterranean diet of Icaria, Greece, to the strong social bonds of Okinawa, Japan, Buettner has distilled these learnings into his “Power 9” principles, a roadmap for living longer and better. 

But what sets Buettner apart from other longevity experts is that he doesn’t preach these habits—he lives them. 

As a result, he’s gained not just years but quality in his life with the energy, engagement, and happiness of someone far younger. “I’m 63, but I probably have the biological age of a 50-year-old and the emotional age of about a 15-year-old. So I’m feeling young,” he jokes in his interview with GQ. 

In this article, we’ll explore Buettner’s remarkable journey to uncover the world’s longevity hot spots, the “Power 9” principles he discovered along the way, and how he’s applied them to his life—and how you can, too. Get ready to discover a blueprint for adding vital, fulfilling years to your lifespan, straight from the man known as the “Indiana Jones of aging.”

Discovering the Blue Zones

Dan Buettner didn’t set out to become the world’s leading expert on longevity. In fact, his original claim to fame was as an endurance cyclist, setting Guinness World Records for the longest distance ridden in 24 hours. 

But his curiosity about what allows certain groups of people to stay active and healthy into old age eventually led him to research longevity hot spots.

Teaming up with demographers and scientists from the National Institute on Aging, Buettner set out to identify the places around the world with the highest concentrations of centenarians. After years of research and on-the-ground reporting, he discovered five remarkable locations where people regularly live to 100 and beyond:

• Sardinia, Italy: An island off the coast of Italy where men live as long as women, thanks to a culture of hard work, strong family bonds, and a plant-based diet.
• Okinawa, Japan: Home to the world’s longest-lived women, who maintain strong social connections and a sense of purpose well into old age.
• Nicoya, Costa Rica: In this sunny peninsula, a strong faith community, an active lifestyle, and a diet rich in tropical fruits help residents live longer, healthier lives.
• Icaria, Greece: On this remote Aegean island, a Mediterranean diet, daily naps, and a relaxed pace of life help people reach age 90 at 2.5 times the rate of Americans.
• Loma Linda, California: This Seventh-day Adventist community practices a “biblical” diet free of meat and alcohol while prioritizing family, faith, and nature.

While each Blue Zone boasts unique culture and traditions, Buettner and his team identified nine common denominators that unite them. Dubbed the “Power 9,” these principles encompass the lifestyles, practices, and worldviews that allow people to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. 

From moving naturally throughout the day to having a strong sense of purpose, the wisdom of Blue Zones centenarians began coming into focus. In the next section, we’ll dive deeper into each of the Power 9 principles and explore how you can put them into practice in your own life.

The Power 9: Unlocking the Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Happiest Centenarians

Through his research in the Blue Zones, Dan Buettner identified nine recurring themes, practices, and habits that coincided with longevity and vitality. He distilled these into a simple, accessible framework for improving their well-being: the Power 9.

While each Blue Zone has its own unique traditions and lifestyles, all share these nine core principles in common:

1. Move Naturally: Centenarians live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving, from walking to gardening to household chores.
2. Purpose: The Okinawans call it “ikigai” and the Nicoyans “plan de vida. ” Knowing your purpose in life can add up to seven years to your lifespan.  
3. Down Shift: Practices like meditation, naps, and social traditions help Blue Zone residents shed stress, a significant ager.
4. The ​​80% Rule: Stopping eating when you’re 80% full, as Okinawans do, helps avoid weight gain and promotes healthier digestion.
5. 5Plant Slant: Centenarians favor a largely plant-based diet heavy on vegetables, legumes, and whole grains while limiting meat intake.
6. Wine at 5: Moderate drinkers (1-2 drinks per day) tend to outlive teetotalers, especially when paired with social connections.
7. Belong: Being part of a faith-based community can add 4-14 years to life expectancy, regardless of denomination.  
8. Loved Ones First: Surrounding yourself with family, keeping aging parents nearby, and investing in partnerships pay off in more years.
9. Right Tribe: The world’s longest-lived people chose or were born into social circles that support healthy behaviors and happiness.

The nine principles outlined here reveal the Blue Zones’ secrets for living a long, healthy, and fulfilling life. By engaging in regular physical activity, nurturing meaningful social relationships, living with purpose, and adopting a plant-based diet, you can discover the same keys that enable Blue Zone residents to celebrate their 100th birthdays at rates up to 10 times higher than the average American.

The real power of Power 9 is its holistic approach, which simultaneously supports physical, mental, and social health. 

Practices like a sense of purpose and belonging to the right tribe boost emotional wellness while focusing on whole plant foods and natural movement, which supports long-term physical vitality. It’s an interlocking recipe for adding years to your life and life to your years.

How Dan Buettner Lives the Blue Zones Lifestyle

For Dan Buettner, the Blue Zones aren’t just a research topic; they’re a blueprint he follows in his daily life. He says, “I don’t just preach these habits; I practice them.”

Take a look at a typical day in Buettner’s life, and you’ll see the Power 9 principles in action:

• He rises naturally around 7 am and starts the day with a beach walk to get his coffee, fitting in low-intensity physical activity while connecting with nature.
• For “breakfast” at around 11 am, he prepares a hearty Sardinian minestrone brimming with beans and vegetables, inspired by Dan Buettner’s Blue Zone diet plan.
• He aims to work just 4 focused hours per day, spending the rest of his time on social connections and pursuits that align with his purpose, like writing and speaking.
• In the afternoon, he fits in exercises he enjoys, like swimming, biking, or pickleball with friends. Dinners out provide more chances to socialize over healthy food and wine.
• He unwinds in the evening with a nap or downshift, then wakes naturally to start the cycle again.

As he enters his mid-60s, Buettner has the energy and biological age of a man decades younger, which he credits to the habits learned from Blue Zones centenarians.

But more than just extending lifespan, Buettner has found that Blue Zones practices add joy, meaning, and richness to his days. The lifestyles of the world’s longest-lived people, it turns out, are remarkably well-adapted to yield happiness and satisfaction across a lifetime.

The Deeper Meaning of Longevity: Living with Purpose, Happiness and Fulfillment

Through his work, Buettner has come to believe that the true value of a long life lies not just in hitting a certain age milestone, but in filling those years with purpose, social connection, and enjoyment. 

“It’s not just about making it to a healthy 90 or 100,” he says to GQ. “It’s about enjoying the journey. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.”

In the Blue Zones, that sense of purpose—the Okinawans’ “ikigai” or the Nicoyans’ “plan de vida”—is baked into the culture. Having a driving reason to wake up each day, whether it’s family, faith, or a passion project, can add up to 7 years to your lifespan.  

Buettner’s ikigai stems from his mission to share the lessons of Blue Zones centenarians far and wide. “My purpose is to go out in the world, explore the life of traditional people, distill their wisdom, and put it to work in today’s world,” he says.

Underlying the Power 9 principles is the insight that health and happiness are inextricably linked —and that often, the habits that add years to your life also add life to your years. Whether it’s the mood-boosting effects of volunteering, the cognitive benefits of a plant-based diet, or the stress relief of a tight-knit social circle, longevity best practices deliver a potent mix of physical and emotional rewards.

Exporting the Lessons of the Blue Zones: Community Transformations Across America

Not content to simply study the world’s longest-lived cultures, Buettner has made it his mission to help Americans adopt Blue Zones practices in their communities.

In 2009, Buettner launched the Blue Zones Project, a well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier everywhere people spend their time.   

Working with local leaders, worksites, schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and faith-based organizations, Blue Zones Project engineers changes to community policy and infrastructure that gently nudge residents into moving more, eating better, and connecting with their “right tribe.”

The results have been nothing short of extraordinary. Over a decade, the Project helped reduce smoking by 30% and increase physical activity and healthy eating in the beach cities of Southern California.

The Project has reached 5.5 million Americans across 70 communities in 10 states, significantly boosting well-being and millions in healthcare savings. It’s proof that the secrets of the world’s longest-lived people can take root in our modern world, transforming lives and entire communities.

Adding Life to Your Years, and Years to Your Life

Through his explorations of the world’s Blue Zones, Dan Buettner has demonstrated that living a long, fulfilling life is attainable for us all. 

By studying the wisdom of the world’s centenarians and distilling their lifestyles into a simple, actionable set of practices, he’s given us a roadmap to boosting both healthspan and lifespan.

At its heart, the Blue Zones framework is an invitation to savor the journey. It’s less about restrictive diets or intense workouts than making joyful, health-promoting habits a natural part of your daily routine over a lifetime. Simple rituals—a nourishing meal with loved ones, a walk in nature, an afternoon nap, an engaging hobby—add up to a life that’s not just longer but richer.

Perhaps most powerfully, Buettner has shown that these practices are accessible to all of us, regardless of age or circumstances. We don’t need miracle drugs or expensive treatments to unlock an extra decade of good health; we simply need to look to the ancestral patterns that have allowed generations to thrive.  

So why wait? There’s no better time to start using the secrets of the world’s centenarians than today. Your happiest, healthiest years await.