Dan Buettner on 'Blue Zones'

We were intrigued this morning when the New York Times posted its upcoming Sunday article by Minneapolis writer Dan Buettner profiling the Greek island of Ikaria, 'The Island Where People Forget to Die.'

People there just live longer. This paragraph in Buettner's article suggests one reason why:

Seeking to learn more about the island's reputation for long-lived residents, I called on Dr. Ilias Leriadis, one of Ikaria's few physicians, in 2009. On an outdoor patio at his weekend house, he set a table with Kalamata olives, hummus, heavy Ikarian bread and wine.

"People stay up late here," Leriadis said. "We wake up late and always take naps. I don't even open my office until 11 a.m. because no one comes before then." He took a sip of his wine. "Have you noticed that no one wears a watch here? No clock is working correctly. When you invite someone to lunch, they might come at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. We simply don't care about the clock here."

You can read the entire article, which was adapted from new material for an updated edition of Buettner's book "Blue Zones," at the New York Times.

Buettner joined The Daily Circuit Wednesday to discuss Ikaria and other Blue Zones.

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