I studied 5 of the world’s healthiest countries—5 things I’m doing to live a longer, happier life

Last year, while researching for my book “Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives,” I visited five of the world’s healthiest countries — Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain — to see how they keep older adults active, engaged, purposeful, and healthy.

I picked these countries because they have some of the longest healthy life expectancies in the world (in some cases, a decade longer than the U.S.). And none of them the most ideal environments for aging: Singapore is hot, crowded, and has a notoriously competitive work environment, for instance. In Spain, obesity and smoking rates are significant. If these countries can succeed, so can we.

At a community development center in Kanazawa, Japan, older adults teach, volunteer, run the restaurant, or just hang out with young people and those with Down syndrome. In Korea, lifelong learning is written into the Constitution. Singapore is building a whole “health district.” Italy taps into the wisdom and energy of seniors through volunteering.

After seeing how these countries are rewriting the rules on aging, I’m doing five things to live a longer, happier life.

In other countries, definitions of “old age” are fluid, tied to individual circumstances rather than arbitrary dates. At 62, I can easily have another 20 or more years of good health, and unlike many older adults, I am going to plan them with the same seriousness of purpose I did the last 20.   

I spent the first big chunk of my career managing people who create content. It was only in my 50s that I realized I was much happier telling the stories myself. In the last decade, I’ve written three books, hosted my own podcast, launched two weekly newsletters, and started a video channel on Instagram called GrandPeople. 

While our society often pushes us to make big, intentional career and life plans in our 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, we don’t typically expect as much from people over the age of 60. But as I look ahead, I’m excited to continue honing and developing my craft. Because there’s no reason the next 20 years can’t be as meaningful and purposeful as the last. 

Japan has the highest percentage of older workers in the world, and many of them aren’t working just for the money. They do it for purpose, connection, and health. Most work part-time, on flexible schedules, or in job shares.

Advertisement

While in Japan, I met older adults working on candy assembly lines, managing books for a machine tool company, running parking lots, driving taxis, and guiding tours.

The lesson they embodied stuck with me. As I think about my own future, I plan to continue working, but on my terms. I’ll keep writing books and telling stories. But maybe I won’t commit to putting out two newsletters a week forever. And that’s okay. Instead of working full-steam or retiring completely, I can find a middle ground. The goal is to keep working in a way that fits the life I want to lead.

Americans don’t tend to think of intergenerational connection as a public health strategy, but people in the countries I visited see how important this is. Studies all over the world have shown the benefits of intergenerational relationships, such as increased happiness, a better sense of well-being, and improved physical and mental health.

Even in the U.S., which has been described as one of the most age-segregated societies in the world, there are opportunities for intergenerational collaboration: at work, in neighborhoods, in volunteer settings, in families. 

I’ll proactively find places and activities that connect me with younger generations, and choose to foster my friendships with people of all ages. Down the line, I’d consider moving into a place like Mirabella at Arizona State University or Gorham House in Maine, which combines a nursing home with a preschool. 

Time spent with friends has dropped precipitously in the U.S., while time spent with technology has skyrocketed. It doesn’t have to be that way. I saw for myself how Italians spend more time at meals and with family and less time online. 

This couldn’t be more important. A decades-long Harvard study tells us that positive relationships are key to living a longer, happier, healthier life — more crucial even than career achievement, money, exercise, or a healthy diet.

My baby steps include being more intentional about family meals without phones and trying to cut back on the obsessive scrolling of the news and Instagram that interferes with human conversation.  

Research has demonstrated that learning supports healthy aging. Many states provide free or low-cost education opportunities to older adults, and I plan to take advantage of them. 

As I think ahead to my next book project, I might enroll in a writing seminar at an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute designed to serve older learners. Each one is associated with a university — the closest to me is at American University — and offers a wide range of classes. 

Advertisement

Whatever class I take or learning I do, it will be in person. Because interacting face-to-face maximizes social connection and healthy longevity. 

Ken Stern is a nationally recognized expert on longevity and aging. He is the founder of the Longevity Project and hosts the popular “Century Lives” podcast from the Stanford Center on Longevity. His most recent book is Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives.” He is also the former CEO of NPR.

Want to be your own boss? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course, How To Start A Business: For First-Time Founders. Find step-by-step guidance for launching your first business, from testing your idea to growing your revenue. Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off the regular course price of $127 (plus tax). Offer valid September 16 through September 30, 2025.