Learning from the Japanese

The life expectancy of Japanese people exceeds that of Americans by seven full years (84 vs. 77).  Seven months would have been statistically significant, but seven years?  How is this even remotely possible?

We don’t know, and in truth, we probably never will, since all we have are data that speak to correlation, rather than causation.  They eat better.  They have fewer toxins in their environment.  They have very few guns, and therefore almost no gun-related deaths. They’re not monotheistic, and thus they don’t live in fear of eternal punishment. They live honest lives with very little corruption.

Contrast this with the United States, where all these features are completely different.  Take corruption.  We don’t dabble in it; we bathe ourselves in it.  Might not be good for the soul.

All this said, one thing that should most certainly be kept in mind is the set of life attitudes shown at left.  It seems completely plausible that a harmonious approach to life in general creates less stress and greater spiritual, emotion, and perhaps physical health.