Dan Buettner is a researcher, author and founder of the Blue Zones®, a company dedicated to creating healthy communities. Along with two other demographers, he discovered 5 places with the highest density of people who live the longest and healthiest (the so-called “Blue Zones”), one of which is Nicoya, Costa Rica. Here are the factors he uncovered that explain their longevity:

1. Long-lived individuals of Nicoya have a purpose.
2. They drink water rich in calcium.
3. They live with their family.
4. They eat light at dinner.
5. They have fulfilling social networks.
6. They do daily physical chores as exercise.
7. They get regular sunshine.
8. They have a strong history and culture rooted in low stress traditions.

For more read the details on the BlueZones blog.