Aging: The Importance of “Ikigai” and “Moai”

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

- Sophia Loren

Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and author, as well as Sophia Loren are on to something. They both understand that graceful aging is linked to utilizing your mind and appreciating the connection to loved ones.  Attached to this article is a TedTalk of Buettner discussing research done on longevity in diverse areas around the world. He and his team distill the research down to nine focus areas found to extend longevity, but two general concepts that stand out to me are the ideas of purpose and connection. Buettner certainly highlights food choices and sourcing, physical activity, and attitudes toward elders in a culture, but again two themes that seem so critical are the Japanese concepts of “Ikigai” and “Moai.”

Ikigai

“Ikigai” roughly translates to a “reason for being” in Japanese. It is a Japanese social construct taught throughout their culture's lifespan because it is something that is thought to develop with time. There is encouragement for a deep searching and thought about your ikigai and it is not necessarily tied to financial success. It is a quest for your life’s purpose and a reason to rise each morning. Buettner mentions in the TedTalk that there are two years of life thought to be the most perilious; the year you are born and the year you retire. It is implied that the precariousness of life in the year you retire is due to a lack of redirection or no longer feeling as if one has a purpose. In American society, we are so tied to our industrious natures and to our jobs that we rarely cultivate the other elements that create our ikigai. It is critical to refine our ikigai to something outside our work so we may continue to experience our purpose after we no longer go to a job.

Moai

In Okinawa, Japan, “moai" translates to “a group meeting for a common purpose.” It seems the origin was with farmers, meeting to consult with one another about crops, but it has been adapted to the larger society. Now young children are placed into moai groupings. These groups continue to meet together and support one another throughout their lives emotionally, socially and even sometimes financially. They support one another in their goals and become similar to an extended family. There is a moai group shown in the TedTalk of five women who have been meeting for 97 years!

Buettner poignantly highlights the importance of connection to other people throughout the talk especially when he bluntly says, “Isolation kills.” Isolation negatively impacts so many areas from depression, loneliness, anxiety, and explicitly aging. Damaging news can become less impactful when the burden is held by others. Sharing blessings spreads good cheer and elevates moods. It is critical to have peer groupings to lean on through the good and the bad, especially as people age. The beauty of a moai group is that it is offers a peer association separate from your partner or immediate family so in times of crisis you have a team to help you through.

So, perhaps take stock of your current situation and note the state of your ikigai or your moai tribe. And then take action, dig deep for purpose or shed some love of the people in your tribe. It has the potential to keep you going a little longer.