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Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way [Kindle Edition]

Dan Buettner
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)

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Book Description

What makes us happy? It's not wealth, youth, beauty, or intelligence, says Dan Buettner. In fact, most of us have the keys within our grasp. Circling the globe to study the world's happiest populations, Buettner has spotted several common principles that can unlock the doors to true contentment with our lives.

Working with leading researchers, Buettner identifies the happiest region on each of four continents. He explores why these populations say they are happier than anyone else, and what they can teach the rest of us about finding contentment. His conclusions debunk some commonly believed myths: Are people who have children happier than those who don't? Not necessarily—in Western societies, parenthood actually makes the happiness level drop. Is gender equality a factor? Are the world's happiest places to be found on tropical islands with beautiful beaches? You may be surprised at what Buettner's research indicates.

Unraveling the story of each "hotspot" like a good mystery, Buettner reveals how he discovered each location and then travels to meet folks who embody each particular brand of happiness. He introduces content, thriving people in Denmark, in Singapore, in northeastern Mexico, and in a composite "happiest place in America." In addition, he interviews economists, psychologists, sociologists, politicians, writers, and other experts to get at what contributes to each region's happiness.

Buettner's findings result in a credible, cross-cultural formula and a practical plan to help us stack the deck for happiness and get more satisfaction out of life. According to Buettner's advisory team, the average person can control about forty percent of his or her individual happiness by optimizing life choices. These aren't unreasonable demands on a person's lifestyle, and they often require only slight changes. They fall into three categories that make up the way we live our lives: the food we eat, the way we exercise, and the social networks we foster. It's all about nourishing the body and the spirit. Heeding the secrets of the world's happiness all-stars can help us make the right choices to find more contentment in our own lives and learn how to thrive.



Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Thrive
Click on the images below to open larger versions.

Nordea Bank in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark, is one of Europe’s largest banks. The owners believe that a well-lit, well-designed workspace makes for a more efficient and profitable workforce. Its corporate headquarters and philosophy are typical of most large Danish companies. Photo by David McLain The Rabbit Jumping Association in Arhus, Denmark, is 30 members strong and partially funded by the municipality. Approximately 96% of Danes belong to a vast array of associations that have served to institutionalize social networking and reinforce a sense of community and belonging. Photo by David McLain A government-sponsored outing for young couples called “Movies on the Beach” is designed to promote love. In Singapore, the government plays a heavy-handed role in social policy, promoting everything from love to cleanliness in a seemingly endless array of social education campaigns. Photo by David McLain Approximately 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing and approximately 90% own their own home, giving Singapore one of the highest rates of home ownership anywhere on Earth. Photo by David McLain Making room for bikes is the only way to go in San Luis Obispo, Calif., a town that prides itself in making recreation and social interaction easier. Newer establishments often have a bike valet service. Photo by Dan Buettner


Review

"[Buettner] offers a framework to strive for: seeking tradition, community, and calm as a starting point for happiness that lasts." - Publishers Weekly

"A superbly produced, life-changing audio." - AudioFile Magazine


Product Details

  • File Size: 526 KB
  • Print Length: 304 pages
  • Publisher: National Geographic; 1 edition (October 19, 2010)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B003EY7JJY
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,771 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

The book is very conversational in style. John Chancellor  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
218 of 223 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I received an advance copy of "Thrive, finding happiness the Blue Zones way" and was quite excited to read it. However, I quickly became disappointed.

As many previous reviewers have mentioned, there is A LOT of filler detailing the author's personal experiences while visiting the various "happiest places on earth". Quite honestly, the book reads as more of a travelogue, describing his experiences while traveling to research the subject, than a book on why the happiest people are so happy.

The actual information about the happiness factors, for which most people will buy this book, would have been more appropriately written up as a magazine article - and it would have been a pretty interesting article. However, there just isn't enough information for a full book, which is likely why the author has fluffed it up with stories about his experiences while visiting and traveling in the various countries (this is the travelogue aspect, which is about 2/3's of the book)

The findings, which detail whatever aspects of the country, town or people in it that make them so happy, are summarized at the end of each chapter, and then a final summary at the end of the book (again, all would have readily fit into an article as a much more concise read). I will outline the summaries below (so if you DON'T want to know now and would rather find out by reading the book, read no further!)

To me, many of these have a major "Duh!" factor, and don't really reveal things that you can easily change or quickly improve. They are the kind of things that would require a major lifestyle change, a new job, moving to a new area, etc.) Additionally, you will find that some of the recommendations conflict with others - in one country security is more important than a sense of freedom, while in another a sense of freedom is what counts...

Denmark:

If you are round people who are more positive in general, you will become more positive

If you are around trustworthy people and in an environment you trust you will be happier

If you are in a society of tolerance and freedom, (but where most of the people share your ethnic and cultural background) you will be happier

If you are in an area or society of social and economic equality rather than large disparity of "have's and have not's" you'll be happier

If you live somewhere that cares and provides for both the old and the young you'll be happier

If you have a job you enjoy and you don't work too much, and take time to volunteer you'll be happier

If you have activities that you enjoy doing and live in an area with many things to do you'll be happier

If you have a cozy home and frequently socialize with others you'll be happier

If your taxes are used to help facilitate the above, even if it means having most of your income going towards taxes, you'll be happier.

Singapore

Security is more important than the feeling of freedom, if you have security you'll be happier

If basic culture is created by government: everyone has a home, good education, a good living wage, and the necessary social and community services people are happier

Status equality makes people happier

Living your values makes people happier

Mexico:

Living somewhere warm and sunny makes people happier

Having a personal sense of freedom makes people happier

Enjoying yourself and laughing a lot makes people happier

Having just enough money to meet your needs makes people happier

Having strong spiritual faith and being grateful for what you have makes people happier

Over-socializing makes people happier

A strong sense of family and friends makes people happier

San Luis Obispo, California

Citizen empowerment and sense of community makes people happier

Anti-smoking policies makes people happier

Minimal signage around town and lots of parks and green spaces makes people happier

Prohibiting drive through restaurants makes people happier

Favoring pedestrians over cars and having a town square makes people happier

Being involved in the arts or supporting the arts makes people happier

Being able to work at home or work for yourself makes people happier

Last Chapter Summary:

The author takes his findings from the four countries above and groups them together into six categories...

Community - does it help you feel good and support your values?

Workplace - do you enjoy your job and not spend too much time there?

Social life - Do you have friends and family you spend quality time with and that are positive influences?

Financial life - Do you have just enough without over extending and a bit of savings, too?

Home - Do you have a positive living environment that helps you feel good?

Self - Do you have the education, sense of purpose and healthy lifestyle needed to support happiness? Do you have a sense of gratitude, openness, loving, and appreciation of the arts?

So there you have it, the main points summed up. If you enjoy travelogues and stories of personal experiences and encounters, than you will likely enjoy this book. However, if you're seeking a more informational, resource rich guide to personal happiness you may want to look elsewhere.
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179 of 196 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Mix of Messages about Happiness October 31, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Thrive has at its core a very interesting idea. Based on a number of surveys, Dan Buettner identified four areas of the world which are each known for their high happiness levels. These are Denmark, Singapore, Monterrey Mexico, and San Louis Obispo California. That's not to say that people in Singapore are happier than various locations in Europe and the US - but Buettner wanted to examine a range of cultures, so he was looking at "the happiest in their region".

Buettner began with Denmark. Apparently the reason people are happy there is that they are all white, rich, and have self-funded a beautiful social network, sort of like setting up an ideal boarding school that you live in. Oh, and their motto is "well it could be worse". I oversimplify a bit :) But it does seem to boil down to these ideas. Everyone feels like their neighbors are just like them, they all have good money and job opportunities, and they are OK with paying high taxes because it invests right into their fairly small community. Denmark has about 5.3 million people - smaller than New York City.

Now, to be fair, the schools in Denmark encourage them to learn fun, artistic skills. They have beautiful nature around them, they all enjoy riding bikes and stay healthy. Their economy runs smoothly. And again, with their way of life being "This is good enough, be happy it's not sliding downhill," they end up being content with what they have. Which certainly is a lesson that everybody can learn. The average happiness level here was 8/10.

On to Singapore. This is perhaps an "opposite case" to Denmark. Rather than being all the same, Singapore has many different cultures intermingled. Because many of these were foreigners, the government felt the best way to have coexistence happen smoothly was to create strict laws about everything. No gum. No trash. Every person felt as if they could strive and succeed, by following those rules. They feel safe, and that makes them serene.

Where in Denmark they think about how things are OK compared to the alternatives, in Singapore they focus on the things they can get. They're jealous of those with more money and drive to get that money for themselves. Buettner talks to people with 300 shoes who go to wild parties. Where in Denmark it seemed people were low key and quiet, here it's about glitz and glamour. Interestingly, this "happiest place" in the Asian region is only 6.6 on the happiness scale.

On to Mexico. This is yet another situation entirely. The Mexicans feel their government is incredibly corrupt and have no sense of security there. They certainly do not have lots of money or ample jobs. Instead, what makes the Monterrey group happy is family, community, and religion. They have the sense that they are all in this together - this bleak state - and as long as they can laugh, sing, and enjoy what they have, they can get through it. Their average income is $11,000 a year - certainly not enough to buy 300 pairs of shoes, but enough to stay fed and sheltered. Their community is their main source of support. They don't crave high def TVs or fancy cars. They enjoy dancing together at the local celebration.

It's worth noting though that Monterrey is the most wealthy area of Mexico. So they know they are better off than all other Mexicans, which can certainly effect how content you are with what you have.

Last we come to San Louis Obispo. We have circled around to a rich, exclusive area again. Apparently students who go to school here are warned that while they will fall in love with the beauty of the surrounding nature and the great arts and social scene of the town, that it's unlikely they'll be able to afford living here. It is a wealthy retreat that many desire to join. People come here who love the scenery and who appreciate the artistic offerings. It is almost back to the "boarding school" idea, that you have a lot of money and you use that money to create an enclosed world of your dreams.

Buettner tries to sum up these four different locations with some ideals that we can all live by. Some of them make sense. If you're self employed, you have some of the highest chances of happiness. Sure, because you can work on what you want to work on, you can direct your own life, and you reap all the rewards. In Okinawa there is no word for "retire". People do not stop doing what they love just because they hit an arbitrary age limit. Sure, they might change their interests over time, but they stay engaged and active in them.

Other suggestions seem very iffy though. "Join a church"? While in Mexico their religion gives them a common support system to fight the government's corruption, the book also says that there are many very religious locations that are the most miserable on earth. It hardly seems that going to church, if you're not interested, can inject happiness into your life. Quite the opposite.

Also, Buettner apparently is against living together before marriage. He says people more likely to live together are more likely to divorce. Sure, and you can also say that people who are adamantly against living together are also the ones who will stay in abusive relationships because "divorce is wrong". With stats saying that almost 1/3rd of women are abused by their husband or boyfriend, I wouldn't be so quick to jump on the "stay together at all costs" bandwagon.

I also had an issue with how gleefully Buettner seemed to enjoy finding wealthy people in these different locations and living the high life with them. I had to wade through details of sake parties, Champagne parties, and the famous people he met. I really didn't read the book to learn about Buettner's party life. I wanted to know how average people lived - not how the rich and famous hob-nobbed with nobility.

Still, there was a lot of valuable information here to learn from the different cultures. You could of course take away the thought that being wealthy can buy you happiness and let you live somewhere that's beautiful and well taken care of. You can imagine that the fun of making money and buying lots of things can keep fueling your happiness. The book seems to say all of these things. However, I like to look at the various scenarios a bit differently.

In Denmark, they were all happy with what they had. Sure, again, they were wealthy! They were in a calm, no-ethnic-strife, beautiful location. But even so, a key part of their contentment was that they appreciated what they had, and did not chase additional wealth or items.

In Singapore, a key seemed to be that they felt safe and secure. One woman said she could go walking through the city at midnight and feel no concern. Their world was organized to help them thrive, based on their energies and efforts.

In Monterrey, the community provided their pleasure. They thrilled with family and friends, spending time together, and simply having fun. It wasn't about money or buying things - it was about relationships.

In California, it was about appreciating natural beauty and the arts. If you give yourself time to walk quietly through the forest, and then relax in the evening by listening to beautiful music, it brings joy to your heart.

I recommend reading Thrive to learn more about these different groups of people, but be aware that sometimes you'll have to sift through what Buettner is saying in order to figure out what is important to you.
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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wish he had covered more countries like in The Blue Zones September 20, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Having read The Blue Zones and learned a lot from that book, I was eager to read this book. And it hasn't disappointed. Knowing the one area, San Luis Obispo here in California which he writes about, and knowing what he writes is true, made me believe the rest of the book as well.

Although his chapter on Denmark/Danmark was interesting for what it didn't say. Yes, they pay something around 68% in taxes, but in 2010 they unlike many countries, are still heavily Caucasian, and many studies show that when your neighbor looks more like you and has the same values etc that its not as hard to deny them needed services, and in doing so you have a more stable country/society.

Same with the other countries like Mexico and Singapore which are also covered in the book. Although I wonder if Mexico which has been in the news so much and has regions where drug killings are the norm, would be seen as a happy country in late 2010.

I recommend The Blue Zone book more because it covers many more countries and shows that the simpler the lifestyle the happier people tend to be. Am also intrigued that in most happy countries people ride bikes more, eat simpler native foods, sleep more, and are more family oriented. Something Americans are just now rediscovering.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than The Blue Zone!
Buettner wrote this book to entertain and educate. Enjoyed how he described (subjectively) each city and it's inhabitants. Still looking for utopia.
Published 7 days ago by Artemis
4.0 out of 5 stars The Villages, Florida...the 5th Blue Zone Area
The Villages, Florida, a retirement community, where we live during the winter, has much of the similarities recommended by this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Manjiro
4.0 out of 5 stars Great information
Valuable information about the attributes of nations and people ion the world that find happiness and create thriving communities based on the things that really matter in life.
Published 1 month ago by Chris L. Rinner
5.0 out of 5 stars An important book for understanding how to be happy
Dan Buettner is noted for his study of societies where people live long and healthy lives. In this book he looks at the question of happiness and discovers some places where people... Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Policy and Community Is Important
I really liked this book and found it moving. Sadly, it is clear from this book that if our policymakers planned to create frameworks to diminish citizen well-being and increase... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Omnivorous Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars politicians should be forced to read this book
People are happy from well-thought policies by the state, not just the opportunities for being able to be rich. Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Couchman
3.0 out of 5 stars Forced Into Book Length Happiness
Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way by Dan Buettner is an "interesting" read, but lacks the narrative drive and cohesiveness that I tend to look for in nonfiction... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jeffrey Penn May
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Information!
Thankfully, it doesn't dwell too much on the religious threads of health, but overall, it was highly education al based on years of true scientific exploration in many areas of the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Deroche
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
I love this book! I love his ted talk. As a positive psychology educator and psychotherapist, I highly recommend Thrive. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bucknut
5.0 out of 5 stars It makes me want to visit these Happiness areas
I have set a goal to live for a couple of months in Denmark. Dan writes in a way that makes you want to visit each of these countries or Blue Zones so he says.
Published 5 months ago by R. McLEOD
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More About the Author

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Explorer, a writer, and the founder of Quest Network, Inc. His 2005 cover story for National Geographic magazine, "Secrets of Living Longer," was a finalist for the National Magazine Award. He has appeared on CNN, David Letterman, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and the Today Show to discuss his Blue Zone research and has delivered more than 500 keynote speeches over the last 10 years.



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