--- title: Watch: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life description: A glimpse of how the people of Ikaria, Greece reach old age canonical: https://time.com/110822/ikaria-longevity-health/ author: Diane Tsai article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-23T21:07:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:53:02.291Z article:section: Health og:title: Watch: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life og:description: A glimpse of how the people of Ikaria, Greece reach old age og:url: https://time.com/110822/ikaria-longevity-health/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40f7ab5cae764afe/698690c2cd804d874fccb029/ikaria_longevity_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: Longevity in Ikaria og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life twitter:description: A glimpse of how the people of Ikaria, Greece reach old age twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40f7ab5cae764afe/698690c2cd804d874fccb029/ikaria_longevity_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f165c48f-18bc-42c6-a132-7e71fb00e5da&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life [Watch (HLS stream): The Island That Holds the Secret to Long Life](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/orlnwhNb.m3u8) (7:08)  _Published 2014-05-23. Here's how the people of Ikaria, Greece reach old age_ by [Diane Tsai](https://time.com/author/diane-tsai/) and [Dan Q. Tham](https://time.com/author/time-video/) May 23, 2014 9:07 PM UTC by [Diane Tsai](https://time.com/author/diane-tsai/) and [Dan Q. Tham](https://time.com/author/time-video/) May 23, 2014 9:07 PM UTC Today is the 115th birthday of Jeralean Talley, the [oldest living American](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/23/oldest-living-american-turns-115/9470209/?utm%5Fsource=dlvr.it&utm%5Fmedium=twitter&dlvrit=384245). While reaching that age would be considered a feat by many, it’s not so far-fetched to the people of Ikaria, Greece. In 2009, it was named a [longevity hotspot](http://www.bluezones.com/expedition/ikaria/) for being home to people who [reach the age of 90 at a rate two and a half times greater than in the U.S.](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all&%5Fr=0) “Ikaria’s a very unique island. The people are not what you would find in other places. They have a different lifestyle, a different way of looking at life,” said Thea Parikos, an American-born Ikarian who returned to the island as an adult. Situated in the Aegean Sea, Ikaria is a mountainous island with a population of 10,000\. Winding dirt paths descend toward cerulean water and the faint bleating of meandering goats in the distance can often be heard. The island’s arresting beauty and temperate climate create an enticing atmosphere of rest, but elderly Ikarians thrive on keeping themselves busy. The remarkable longevity of Ikarians is attributed to multiple factors. A heavily plant-based diet, habitual physical activity such as tending to a garden, social bonds, and a stoic approach to stressful situations have been cited as reasons why Ikaria is home to such a high number of centenarians. “Everybody’s trying to find the secrets of longevity,” said Xanthi Tigani, who is writing her Ph.D. thesis on Greek longevity at the University of Athens Medical School. “There’s no one thing that can make you grow to be 100 years old or older.” Nothing can make us stop trying to figure it out, though. And the Ikarians may provide some clues. _Dan Q. Tham is a production assistant for the CNN Documentary Unit._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ]. Ikaria is a very unique island. The people are not what you would find in other places, they have a different lifestyle, a different way of looking at life. We might seem like we're not getting things done, or we might be moving slowly, but we just move at our own pace and things do get done in the end. Being Ikaria is an identity unto itself. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ] People wanna live long, it's natural. Life is a gift, and people want to enjoy it. [ MUSIC ] Unfortunately, you know, Athens is not a carrier. Athens is a big city, people are crowded, crowding alone is a major stress. It's difficult to live there, connected life. There is a lot of obesity, there is a lot of anxiety. We've started already to be seeing the results of stress. In Ikaria they're not crowded, they have the water right next to them. Just the environment where they live, it's better. [ FOREIGN ] [ INAUDIBLE ]. [ FOREIGN ]. It's the people of Ikaria that make the difference, the people are really for Ikaria. In Ikaria, it's cultural, it's an epicurean culture, they avoid stress, or cope well with it. When they cannot avoid it, they seek small pleasures. They live the day as it comes. So, somehow naturally, they're doing things that we should all be doing. [ FOREIGN ]. I got money from my uncle Giannis. He said to me, come with me for work, for one week and I will give you money, I said, okay. I went first three days, and then I said, I, I quit, I cannot do it anymore. I was waking up at 6 o'clock and working until, four, five and he was saying, come on, let's go, let's go until night. [ FOREIGN ]. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ]. In the documentaries they show only old people, they don't show nothing else, old people and the nature. They don't show the young people, what are they doing in their lives, you know? [ NOISE ]. I don't think that I would live so many years as them because, with the live that we are doing now it's, it's bad because we drink alcohol so much. We don't sleep good. [ NOISE ] [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ]. I'm looking forward to the people of Ikaria being able to come together, and work for the good of their island. And I'm also looking forward to the next generation, to see how they turn out and where they're going to be in 20 years time. I think it's gonna be a very interesting journey. We like the tradition of Ikaria, the history, the music, the culture, everything. We like it, and we trying, I think, my generation is trying to keep it, you know, not lose it. What I learn a lot from the older people is their sense of continuity, their strong sense of family, their strong sense of, my children have grown. I've seen my grandchildren, my life is complete, I'm fulfilled. They're not looking for new things. They're enjoying the things that they have in the moments they have. They're not looking for the next one, and the next one before they've actually enjoyed the present one. 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