"Older people are celebrated, they feel obligated to pass on their wisdom to younger generations," he says. This gives them a purpose in life outside of themselves, in service to their communities.

According to Buettner, the concept of ikigai is not exclusive to Okinawans: "there might not...

In one experiment, cold callers at the University of Michigan who spent time with a recipient of the scholarship they were trying to raise money for brought in 171% more money when compared with those who were merely working the phone. The simple act of meeting a student beneficiary provided mean...

Champion hurdler Dai Tamesue, who retired in 2012, said in a recent interview that the fundamental question he asked after he retired was: "what was it that I wanted to achieve by playing sports?"

"For me, what I wanted t...

Japan has some of the longest-living citizens in the world -87 years for women and 81 for men , according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Could this concept of ikigai contribute to longevity?