Healthy to 100

In this “must-read” (Chip Conley), an internationally recognized longevity and aging expert uncovers the secret to an enduring, thriving life: meaningful social connections

Contrary to popular belief, the secret to living longer is not just about eating well, exercising, or getting regular checkups. Instead, successful aging depends on the nature of your relationships and your social connections. If you want to live a healthy and rewarding life, you need to start with social health.   

In Healthy to 100, longevity expert Ken Stern takes us on a journey to some of the longest-lived countries in the world—Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain—places that have achieved great advances in longevity by intentionally strengthening social connections. Science shows that physical and mental health outcomes are all improved by the intergenerational connectedness, sense of purpose, and respect enjoyed by older people in these countries.  

Their example offers us all a personal and societal guide for how we can better the second half of life. Weaving in surprising, colorful stories from around the world, Stern shows that the key to healthy longevity involves a mindset shift and purposeful building of social connections. Healthy to 100 offers a hopeful, attainable, research-backed model for anyone seeking a longer and healthier life. 

• “The right book at the right time. Healthy to 100 is a fascinating and hopeful voyage through five of the world’s healthiest and longest-lived countries, revealing how those societies are supporting connection, community and purpose—and healthier, longer life as a result. Ken Stern weaves together the latest research with his own keen eye for story and detail in this compelling and fun read.  For anyone thinking about what the second half of life should look like, Healthy to 100 is a must-read.”  
  Chip Conley, New York Times bestselling author of Learning to Love Midlife
• “Rather than learn from forty-year old tech bros advocating unproven supplements and radical exercise programs, Ken Stern goes around the world to gather wisdom from the everyday lives of older people to find what makes for a healthy, engaged and purposeful life wherever you live. Success lies less in cracking human biology and more in cracking human connectivity. An insightful and entertaining book that is a must-read for anyone who is thinking about how to live a longer, healthier life.”
  Andrew Scott, coauthor of The 100 Year Life
• “In the spirit of E.M. Forster’s famous mandate, ‘Only Connect,’ Ken Stern’s Healthy to 100 reveals social connection to be the key to long, healthy, and joyous lives.  Healthy to 100 takes us on a journey from the dusty streets of Presidio, Texas to the futuristic towers of Singapore, criss-crossing the globe to illuminate the power of social health and intergenerational ties. Beautifully written, filled with indelible stories, and deeply rooted in research, Stern’s book offers our best blueprint for realizing the vast promise of the longevity revolution, as individuals and as societies.”
  Marc Freedman, author of How to Live Forever
• “Which country has unlocked the secret to aging well? After traveling the globe to study the world’s longest-lived populations, Ken Stern discovered something surprising: it’s not Mediterranean diets, cutting-edge healthcare, or exercise regimens that matter most. The real key to a long, vibrant life lies in our connections with one another. Healthy to 100 is both a wake-up call about our loneliness epidemic and a hopeful roadmap for building the social infrastructure we need to thrive at every stage of life. Compassionate, insightful, and surprisingly uplifting, this book will change how you think about growing older—and inspire you to invest in what truly matters.”
  Laura L. Carstensen, founding director, Stanford Center on Longevity
• “Eye-opening… deep, instructive lessons that reveal how community, purpose, learning, and connection contribute to long lives well lived.”
  Kirkus Reviews