The greek island with the highest life expectancy in the world

The island that we present to you today could well be described as a haven of peace. This is the Greek island of Ikaria , six hours by ferry from Athens and two from Mykonos. It is not as famous as the two mentioned above, but it has a unique characteristic, because on this island. People live longer and better. But this fact is not a recent discovery, but rather goes back to research that began many years ago. In 2002, a group of scientists set out to find the place with the longest living population, aiming for people’s life expectancy to exceed 90 years. The objective was to investigate the reasons why people lived longer in that space to try to replicate their lifestyle in other parts of the world.

They called these places “blue zones,” and the island of Ikaria has been identified as one of them. Based on the work carried out by a group of demographers from the University of Athens, on this island, a person has two and a half times more chances of exceeding the age of 90 than the American average. Furthermore, on average, they live between 8 and 10 longer before contracting any type of cardiovascular disease or cancer.

Life quality on Ikaria island

But what is so special about this island that its inhabitants live longer and better? The first fundamental point is as simple as the tranquility that is breathed on the island. The fact that it is not as popular as Athens or Mykonos means that tourism is much more moderate, and therefore its atmosphere is more relaxed. This makes the stress of complying with a visiting schedule or the stress that overcrowding can cause non-existent, with the benefits that this entails.

Another aspect that the study highlights is the origin of the products they consume. The island’s inhabitants grow much of what they consume on their own farms and share the surplus production with their environment. The specialists in charge of the study point out that this very natural diet, based on many fruits and vegetables, little meat, honey, oil and dairy products produced by local animals, contributes to better health.

And another fundamental point for this better life is the almost total absence of schedules. The inhabitants tend not to wear watches nor to follow very rigid schedules. They have no problem staying up late and getting up late. In fact, it is common to find shops closed for much of the morning, since rarely any open before eleven. Merchants say that opening earlier would be absurd because they would not have customers.