Singapore has ‘designed’ a society where people live to be 100 years old – here’s how

Singapore is the world’s newest ‘Blue Zone’, defined as places where people live longer, healthier lives.

“Singapore…has the highest health-adjusted life expectancy in the world. So whatever Singapore has done has contributed to the longest and healthiest life expectancy on earth,” he said, adding that the term “Blue Zones” Dan Buettner, the creator, told CNBC Make. that.

Blue Zones are places where there are 10 times more centenarians per capita than in the United States.

The original five Blue Zone countries were Ikaria (Greece), Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Sardinia (Italy), and Loma Linda (USA), but Buettner’s new list also includes Singapore. , has been named “Blue Zone 2.0”.

While the original Blue Zones were caused by the natural environment, Blue Zones 2.0 were created man-made.

“The old Blue Zones are disappearing because they’re being Americanized,” Buettner said. “Mechanization is replacing physical activity, and technology is separating people from face-to-face interactions.”

In 2004, Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging to try to “reverse engineer” longevity. The research team set out to identify regions of the world where people are visibly living longer and to understand why people in those regions live longer.

Buettner and his team have identified the “Power 9” core elements that describe the habits of the world’s healthiest, longest-living people.

These nine principles are: To move naturally in daily life. Have a purpose. Maintain a routine to relieve stress. Stop eating when you feel 80% full. Eat a more plant-based diet. Consume alcohol in moderation and regularly. Be part of a community. Keep your loved ones close. And surround yourself with people who have healthy habits.

Singapore is a “designed longevity hotspot”, Buettner previously said.

Here are some of the wellness drivers built into the fabric of Singapore’s policies.

Although people in many parts of the world travel by car, most Singaporeans walk. However, this is usually done as needed and not for exercise.

“I think Singapore has done a great job of taxing cars, taxing petrol, taxing road use, and making huge investments in walkability, cycling and public transport. ,” Buettner told CNBC.

“This is not just a coincidence, it’s a very good plan…The result is to get people up from behind the wheel,” he added.

To buy a car in Singapore, you must first obtain a license, COE, or title certificate to own the car, which can cost more than the car itself.

For comparison, as of March, the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s list price in Singapore is S$209,888 (approximately $155,800). In the US, it’s listed for a fraction of the price of $28,855.

Research has shown that people in Blue Zones tend to prioritize and keep their loved ones close.

This can be seen in Singapore’s policy known as the Proximity Housing Subsidy, which financially encourages people to live with or near their parents and children.

“Rather than putting older people in nursing homes, as in the United States, the older people there stay involved with their families. They often receive good care from their families, all of which favors increasing life expectancy.” ‘There’s a high percentage of elderly people,”’ Buettner said.

Belonging to a faith-based community is correlated with longer life expectancy, a study found.

“Of the 263 centenarians we interviewed, all but five belonged to some kind of faith-based community,” Buettner said. “Studies show that attending faith-based services four times a month can add 4 to 14 years to your life expectancy.”

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of Singaporean adults are religiously affiliated. A 2014 Pew Research study also ranked the city-state as the most religiously diverse country in the world.

Singapore has succeeded in making “healthy food cheaper and more available than junk food,” Buettner said. The country has created incentives for food stores to offer healthier options.

Healthier options such as brown rice and whole grains are promoted by the Health Promotion Board. The Ministry of Health has also created a display system to show residents which stalls offer healthier options.

Smoking has become “difficult, unattractive and expensive,” Buettner said. “Singapore has done a good job with the appearance of cigarette packs, including the pictures of mouth cancer. It was one of the first countries to tax cigarettes.”

Singaporeans enjoy universal health care. This means residents have access to quality healthcare, including preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care services. The government has been working on developing policies to subsidize medical costs.

“Here in America, the priorities that drive policy are economic, so health care is very expensive and inefficient at producing health,” Buettner said.

“The policies of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues were different. Instead of making money off people, they actually supported people,” he said, referring to Singapore’s founding father and first prime minister. “I was trying to maintain my health,” he added.

Singapore is known for its strict laws. Bans on chewing gum and high fines for eating and drinking on public transport are common examples.

However, the country is also known to be very tough on guns and drugs. Committing either offense can lead to imprisonment, flogging, or the death penalty.

“The fact that guns are illegal in Singapore…this is a very wise policy given the average life expectancy. In the United States, about 55,000 people die each year from guns; in Singapore, about three People are losing their lives,” Buettner said.

“Strict laws on drugs. We should pay attention to that. Last year there were more than 100,000 drug-related deaths in the US, and about 20 in Singapore,” he added.

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