The Blue Zones of Happiness: A Blueprint for a Better Life

by Dan Buettner

New York Times best-selling author Dan Buettner reveals the surprising secrets of the world's happiest places—and shows how we can all apply the lessons of true happiness to our lives.

In this inspiring book, Buettner offers game-changing tools for setting up your life to be the happiest it can be. In these illuminating pages, you'll:
• Meet the world's Happiness All-Stars—inspiring individuals born in places around the world that nurture happiness as well as Americans boosting well-being in their own communities.
• Discover how the three strands of happiness—joy, purpose, and satisfaction—weave together in different ways to make Denmark, Costa Rica, and Singapore some of the world's happiest places.
• Use the Blue Zones Happiness Test to pinpoint areas in your life where change could bring more happiness—and then find practical steps to make those changes.
• Learn the Top 10 ways to create happiness, as revealed by a panel of the world's leading experts convened specifically for this project.
• Boost your own happiness by applying the lessons of Blue Zones Project communities—America's largest preventive health care project, which has already improved the health and happiness of millions of people across the United States.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Psychology, Audiobook, Personal Development, Science

Unknown Binding

Published October 3, 2017

About the author

National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity.

Reviews

[Rob S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The top ten synthesized findings, starting with the highest effect and feasibility:

1. Prioritize friends and family
2. Get involved—in a club, a team, or a civic or religious organization
3. Learn the art of likability
4. Get at least 30 minutes of physical exercise daily
5. Focus on the happiness of others
6. Make a best friend at work
7. Monitor your health
8. Live together, but choose the right spouse
9. Savor life—in the moment or in anticipation of positive future events
10. Set meaningful goals and monitor progress

Not a bad list of things to think about and work on in 2023.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot on this subject, so most of it was not earth-shattering news to me. However it did give me food for thought as far as what I want out of the next place I choose to call home. I wish every politician would read this book—the info in it should be guiding our policies. Happiness of ALL citizens should be a priority, and I think many politicians, especially Republicans, make the mistake of equating a strong economy with happiness. Certainly a strong economy adds greatly to the happiness of a nation’s or city’s citizens, but there are so many other factors that are just as important. People first need to feel that their basic needs are taken care of, and that is hard when so many people in our country lack access to affordable healthcare. We sink a lot of money into our military and homeland security (the happiest countries tend to have small militaries), while cutting budgets of things that would lead to greater happiness and well-being, such as education, parks, mental-health treatment and transportation.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Buettner shares research on the happiest places on earth and uses that research to help all of us make our workplaces, our homes, and our communities happier places to live.

There are several wonderful lists in this book, including the Blue Zones Happiness Test, the fifteen "cowbell" factors that signal true happiness, and the Community Blueprint for Happiness, that are alone worth the price of the book.

[Elizabeth Theiss Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue Zones are places where people live longer, happier, healthier lives. These places make it easier for individuals to thrive by incorporating design elements and programs that encourage building friendship networks, eating well, walking, and cycling. For example, communities that limit sprawl and preserve open spaces with walking and biking paths encourage a more active lifestyle. Wide sidewalks encourage people to walk and talk together. Some communities tax sweetened beverages to limit obesity.

The existing economy is organized to maximize GDP growth. This book asks the question of whether government ought not instead to prioritize happiness as the greatest object of society. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence clearly included the pursuit of happiness as a major responsibility of government. Later he said, "The happiness and prosperity of our citizens...is the only legitimate object of government." So what would the pursuit of happiness look like on a local level? Certainly it would include an excellent education system that prepared the young for fulfilling, healthy lives. It would provide free healthcare, because, without health, happiness is difficult. Buettner suggests a national measure of well-being should be available to politicians and the public, as a measure of government t success.

If you are looking for a book that provides research-based guidance on how to transform your community into a Blue Zone, this is not that book. I wish it were. Rather, Buettner provides a panoply of examples and waxes enthusiastic about many bromides that are already part of the community development canon.
In a few places, he misses the mark entirely like when he suggests that everyone going to church would create better communities, and that the law should require parent so young children to consider staying together and to co-parent (with abusive spouses? With alcohol and drug-addicted partners? Are you sure, Mr. Buettner?).

I did manage to finish this book but wish it had been a better one. I'm still on the lookout for a book that would help guide my own community to become healthier and happier. Let me know if you've found one.

[Kathy Engleman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unrealistic

Example: a thought exercise: imagine you have ten million dollars. Name 5 things you would do. Now make a three year plan to achieve at least one of those goals. ??? My goals were to retire early, put my 2 kids through college, travel a lot, and do some home remodelling. Since those all require lots of money, how am I supposed to achieve them in 3 years with imaginary money. False statement: you should be around lots of people and have the goal of socializing for at least 6 hours a day. Even introverts [like me] are happier when they spend lots of time socializing. Also, he says that you should be in a committed relationship with a compatible mate, because loners are unhappy. ??? He assumes a one-size-fits-all prescription for happiness that doesn't take individual differences into account, and makes sweeping generalizations based on septic examples. Also I don't think he understands the difference between correlation and causation. It was an entertaining read, but I annoyed my husband with my constant exclamations of incredulity and reading outrageous passages aloud to him. Maybe this book could be helpful to some people but in my opinion it is likely to do more harm than good.

[nukie19 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Buettner's original The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest so I thought this would be another slam dunk. Unfortunately, this really fell flat to me. By about half-way through, I got bored with the information as it got very repetitive and started to feel like filler just to make the book "long enough." I also really hated how so many of the recommendations definitely cannot apply to many people. One big example of this was all the shade Buettner threw at introverts: "Act extroverted, even if you are an introvert." I just don't believe that telling someone to act outside of what makes them feel happy (i.e., being recharged by having time alone) is good advice.

[Britt Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: this is NOT a self-help book. This is a not a list of "tips and tricks." Rather, Buettner presents both anecdotal evidence as well as data from research studies regarding the world's happiest populations, adding a few suggestions for application at the close of each chapter. Unfortunately for [probably] most Americans, many of the suggestions (working less than 40 hours a week, moving to a new environment, changing legislature to support these findings) seem less than achievable. I did find the research fascinating and appreciate Buettner's weaving of travel stories and research, and found all the tips were at least thought- and conversation-provoking.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that he raises some good points about changes that we can make in our lives that could make us happier. I also think that many of the suggestions are untenable for people who work full time, if you socialize for 6 hours and sleep for 7.5 hours, when are you supposed to work, exercise, meditate and spend time with your family.

I also disagree with his take on Singapore. I live in Singapore and people work too hard, are stressed out and have no universal health care. Older individuals are forced into menial labour so that that they can survive.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great info in the book! The first part will seem a tad redundant if you read Dan Buettner's early Blue Zones book, but still a nice recap. The best part of the book is the third part with the tips on how to bring greater amounts of happiness into the concentric circles of your life.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright Singapore was featured so of course I have to read it. Singaporeans are happy because we work hard and are proud of our achievements. Danish people are happy because they don’t need to worry about basic necessities of life. Costa-Ricans are happy because they take life easy and talk to people.

The author provides to do lists to be happy: get married, spend time with family and close friends, get involved with religion or a club, learn to be likeable, exercise, focus on other’s happiness, savour life and find a purpose.

Unfortunately I didn’t find the book very engaging - it reads like a manual. Nonetheless a good summary on happiness.

[Dylan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was looking for the original. A bit basic but fundamentally good, with less coverage of the Blue Zones themselves (wrong book) but still laced with different regions and understandings of happiness and its underpinnings. The Boulder section was cool but glossed over the NIMBYism, even praising the defeat of housing initiatives lest they sully the pristine views of the city (which, as a resident, is doubtful since the center of town is a bunch of strip malls. 4 high-rise apartment buildings somewhere on 28th isn't hurting anybody).

[Paul Botterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me a few new insights into happiness but mostly confirmed what I already knew, which is fine. I got the most out of the references and research that backed up what the book was saying, including pointing me in the direction of a couple of other authors on the subject of happiness to read next.

[Sara Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't hide my personal struggles with mental illness since the birth of my fourth child. Her birth was traumatic, I died, I was revived, and I haven't been the same ever since. My depression is the worst it's ever been, my anxiety is through the roof, I now battle PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. If there was anyone meant to read this book- it's me. I jumped at the chance to review this specifically because I'm essentially desperate to be happy. I don't even want to be SUPER happy, but anything is better than wanting to die everyday, so I went into this book ready to take notes and make changes.

The book itself is a rather fast read and it covers all major areas. The author talks about happiness in different parts of the world, things that could affect your happiness, places that happiness could happen (your job, your community, your financial well-being, personal life, etc) and of course- what IS happiness? We say we want to be happy, but what does that really mean? Of course, it's subjective- what makes me happy won't necessarily make you happy or rate high in your life and vice versa. This book sets out to help you figure out what areas you need to make changes, how to prioritize the things that make you happy, and what to do if you're stuck. Sometimes it might mean being brave and quitting that job you hate and do something that (maybe) isn't as financially rewarding, but it could open up new doors to happiness for you.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book was discussion on building happiness within communities. Of course, it could mean the city you live in or communities could be smaller circles of people that you operate in (clubs, groups, school, etc) and what you can do to foster happiness within the community. I found it interesting because the city I live in has gained a reputation of being the lamer of the Twin Ports cities, we have a lot of bars and dingy areas, we need more jobs and essentially an entire revitalization of the city. We're making progress but when you go to city meetings or even look at the community social media pages you find two groups of people: the we've-always-done-it-this-way group who offer no positive solutions but love to give criticisms, and the dreamers, the people who have a positive outlook and are excited at the strides we're making. I find that when you have those people, and you hear their enthusiasm, it's catchy. All of a sudden I'm doing what I can to join the revolution, so to speak. So that's my really long way of saying I think this would be a really good book for young adults. Seniors in high school, college students, those just starting out in the workplace as a grown up- we (as communities and a nation) need more dreamers, more happy, positive people with the goal of making everything better.

If I had to find a critique, and you know I try to always balance a review, I didn't get a lot of information about mental illness. I'm depressed, how do I get happy? How do I turn the ship around? It's most geared towards general happiness versus specific solutions to specific problems, if that makes sense.

Overall? A solid 4/5 stars. I really flew through this and I could see this being adapted for a public speaking engagement or morale boosting sessions.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before picking this book up at the library, I read an interview the author gave to the Huffington Post.

Question: Did your research change or confirm the way you perceived happiness? How?

Buettner: Yes. I lost my faith in motivational courses and the like. Achieving happiness is best attainable through setting up your life and surroundings so you're nudged into positive behaviors and away from negative ones.

Yet when I checked out his website, he is advertising a 2-part online course called Staying Alive: 9 Habits for Living a Longer, Healthier Life. What gives?

For this reason the author started out on thin ice with me. He and his research team singled out Costa Rica, Denmark and Singapore as having the happiest people. Their metrics must be off because he writes that what the Singaporeans value most by their own admission are the five C’s: car, condo, cash, credit card and club membership. To attain these material possessions and keep up with their neighbors, they work long hours. Work and shop – that’s what they do. And these people are trotted out as happy people we should emulate? Like I said, poor metrics.

Happiness – defining it and attaining it – are hot topics in society today. So many pretend to be happiness gurus and offer to enlighten the rest of us if we will but open up our pocketbooks to them. I would suggest passing on this book. He repeats himself often, giving me the impression he didn’t have quite enough material to make a book

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire and agree with the overall theme of this book: set up your life (home, city, friends, etc.) in a way that intrinsically promotes happiness. BUT some of Buettner’s examples on how to do this are a bit outlandish. Just fall in love with someone who is financially responsible- why didn’t I think of that! In all seriousness though, it is important to look at your life and surroundings to see how you can better set yourself up for success and happiness.

[Simple · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I can't find another good book to read I will read this book again and again and again. Great book.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I felt I got what I needed from other (multiple) Blue Zone materials, including 'Thrive', I did a rapid read of this book. Of particular interest in this edition is the 'Blue Zones Happiness Test,' which gives the reader overall scores for Pleasure, Purpose and Pride. My results surprised me and gave me pause. If you do not have a copy of this book, you can take a similar test (by the Blue Zone group) for free online.
My lower rating of this book could simply reflect me currently being a bit Blue Zoned out. As another reader pointed out, it's become quite the franchise!

[Abdulrahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

من اجمل ما قرأت هذه السنه. بحث رائع جدا حول العالم لأكثر المناطق و الافراد سعاده، ما هو تعريف السعاده لهم باختلاف الثقافات و الدول، و كيف يعيشون حياتهم بجوانبها (الروحيه و الاجتماعيه و الاقتصاديه و البيئيه..الخ) اللتي جعلتهم في مستوى ان يصفوا نفسهم بأنهم "سعيدين".

دروس رائعه جدا يمكن تفعيلها على المستوى الشخصي في بيتك، مع عائلتك، بيئتك، عملك، وصحتك، و حتى دروس للحكومات بكيف تصميم حياه مدنيه ترفع مستوى الرضى لدى الافراد.

[Nellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after enjoying listening to Dan discussing ‘blue zones’ on a podcast. His research on this topic is well known and for me, I enjoyed learning about what is happening in Costa Rica, Denmark and Singapore on a national, local, community and personal level to make their countries ‘happy’. The book also provides an array of research findings on ways to create behaviours and thought patterns to increase the likelihood of living a happier life.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. What I loved most were the actionable suggestions to set up an environment that supports habits that are a foundation for happiness (rather than trying to "seek" happiness). Also enjoyed the views into different kinds of happiness (pleasure, pride, purpose) and cultures/places in which people exemplify them.

[Nopadol Rompho · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you wander why people in country like Costa Rica, Denmark, or Singapore seem to be happier than those in other countries, read this book. Happiness comes from three elements: pleasure, purpose, and pride. I love the concept and the summary at the end of each chapter in this book as well.

[Leesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the information is interesting, it not nothing revolutionary. I felt like the length could have been cut in half because the recommendations were fairly general—much of them being common sense.

[Kevin Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was refreshing to read a profile of Boulder, CO. The author mentions dreadlocked, puffy-wearing guys hanging out on Pearl Street, which could have very well been me!

This has a lot of good info and tips for increasing three types of happiness: pleasure, purpose, and pride. However, much of the book builds up to the conclusion that you should simply live in a better place to be happier. Someone who is unwilling or unable to uproot their life to seek out a better location will find a good chunk of this book useless. That said, it's hard to argue with that conclusion. After having lived in two vastly different places--Boulder, which does a great job of cultivating happiness, and South Korea, a place that does the opposite in so many ways--I wholeheartedly agree that location is hugely important in a person's mental health.

The second half of the book provides more insight into behaviors we can change to increase happiness. My biggest gripe was the repeated calls to join faith-based communities. Again and again, the author advocates that even if you're not religious, you should try to find a faith-based community, and that communities that aren't faith-based don't work as well. It seems plausible that believing in God makes people happier, but regardless of whether or not that's true, is a modest boost to happiness worth the delusional belief? Is believing a lie and organizing a good portion of your life around it worth the extra happiness?

This is a book I'll probably read again as a reminder for how to better live my life with pleasure, purpose, and pride.

[Cazlam · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a stretch.

[❀ Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read with lots of ideas to make your self, your community and world more positive!

[Cyndi T · Rating 3 out of 5]

some interesting thoughts

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good mix of case studies and options for implementing the ideas in different settings.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice complement his other books. Good tools for practical thought and application.

[Amy Dakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. I loved hearing about the different things people crave to achieve happiness, as well as get detailed examples from different countries and cultures. I found this book to be incredibly interesting and insightful, but there were times it got repetitive and was a little longer than necessary.

[Tara Kruyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

a research based analysis of the worlds happiest people & how we can apply them to our own lives. a positive blend of science, context & solutions.

Denmark has it figured out.