歷史上的探險家們一直在尋找傳說中的不老泉，盡管人們從未找到神秘的不老泉，但世界上一些地方卻因為居民壽命遠超世界平均水平（約71歲）而受到關注，它們都有各自神秘的活力源泉。

根據2017年《全球幸福指數報告》排名，BBC采訪了一些世界上最長壽國家的居民，以探究這些地方的長壽奧秘。

Japan 日本

Living to 83 on average, the Japanese have long had one of the highest life expectancies. Okinawa, often called ‘the land of immortals’, has been a global centre for longevity research, as these southern Japanese islands have more than 400 centenarians. Much credit for this has been given to the local diet, which includes plentiful tofu and sweet potato, and a small amount of fish. Active social circles among older residents and a strong community also contribute to lower levels of stress and a strong sense of belonging.
日本人的平均壽命為83歲，一直是預期壽命最高的人群之一。“長壽之島”沖繩一直是全球長壽研究的中心，因為在這些日本南部列島上，有400多名百歲以上老人。當地飲食功不可沒，包括豐富多樣的豆腐和甘薯，還有少量的魚類。當地老年居民社交圈活躍，社區關系緊密，這也有助于減輕壓力，增強歸屬感。

To reap these benefits, learning the language as an expat is critical, said Daniele Gatti, CEO of Velvet Media and long-time Japan resident. “Japan has an amazing quality of life if you can get past the language hurdle to better understand the mentality” – which is more different from Western culture than most visitors think, he added. “Expats willing to move here should think seriously about putting a major time allocation into learning the language. It’s key to integrating deeper in the local society and living a full and meaningful life.”
長期居住在日本的天鵝絨媒體公司首席執行官達尼埃爾?加蒂說，對移居日本的外國人來說，要獲得這些好處，學習日語非常重要。他還說，“如果能跨越語言障礙，更好地理解當地人的思維方式，你在日本的生活質量會非常高。”他還補充說，日本與西方文化的差異超越大多數游客的想象。愿意移居這里的外國人應該認真考慮一下，多花些時間學日語。這對更深層次地融入當地社會，過上充實而有意義的生活非常關鍵。”

Spain 西班牙

The Mediterranean diet, rich in heart-healthy olive oil, vegetables and wine, has long contributed to Spain’s long-lived population (averaging 82.8). But Spain has another longevity secret up its sleeve: the siesta.
長期以來，富含有益心臟健康成分的橄欖油、蔬菜和葡萄酒的地中海飲食對西班牙人的長壽貢獻良多（平均壽命82.8歲）。但西班牙還有另一個長壽秘訣：午休。

“People think all the Spaniards are doing la siesta when the shops are closed between 2:00 and 5:00, but it is simply how the working shift is organised,” said Miquel àngel Diez i Besora from Barcelona and Gray Line tour guide. “If you have a continuous shift and just a half an hour break for lunch, then you eat a quick takeaway. On the contrary, if you are forced to stop for two or three hours, then you go home or go to a restaurant where you can sit down, eat two courses and dessert, and have time enough to digest well, it’s going to be healthier than a takeaway.”
巴塞羅那和格雷線導游米克爾?安赫爾?迭斯說，“人們認為，下午兩點到五點，店鋪打烊，所有的西班牙人都在午睡，但這里的工作就是這么安排的。如果你有連班要上，中間只有半小時時間吃午飯，那么你就只能趕緊點個外賣。但如果你不得不午休兩三個小時，你就可以回家或者去餐館，坐下來吃兩道菜和甜點，還有充足的時間細嚼慢咽，這可比吃外賣健康多了。”

The density of Spanish cities also gets people moving more, since shops and restaurants all tend to be within walking distance of most people’s residences.
西班牙城市人口密集，這也促使人們常常走動，因為商店和餐館與大多數人的住所往往很近。

“When I moved to Barcelona from Moscow, I noticed that people here favour walking or biking, even walking few blocks to take public transport instead of using their own vehicles,” said Marina Manasyan, co-founder of Barcelona Eat Local Food Tours. “You get your cells oxygenated and you reduce your carbon footprint.”
巴塞羅那當地食品旅行社聯合創始人瑪麗娜?馬納相說，“從莫斯科搬到巴塞羅那時，我注意到，這里的人喜歡步行或騎車，有的甚至步行幾個街區去坐公交車，而不是自己開車。這會使你的身體氧氣滿滿，還能減少碳足跡。”

Singapore 新加坡

With broad access to the country’s state-of-the-art medical facilities and what’s been called a ‘miracle’ healthcare system, Singaporeans are living longer than ever at an average of 83.1 years old. The country has one of the lowest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world, and makes preventative care a focus of its healthcare.
新加坡人能廣泛享受到先進的醫療設施和被稱為“奇跡”的醫療體系，平均壽命為83.1歲，比以往任何時候都要長。這里的孕產婦和嬰兒死亡率全球最低，預防性治療是該國醫療的重點。

The culture and accessible urban environment also contributes to a longer life. “You will see a lot of people going to gyms or exercising in the public parks, which are plentiful,” said Bino Chua, a current resident and travel blogger at I Wander. The country even recently opened its first therapeutic park, designed to reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing among aging adults.
文化環境和親近的城市環境也有助于延長居民壽命。新加坡居民、I Wander旅游博主蔡比諾說，“你會看到很多人去健身房，或者在公園鍛煉身體，這里的健身房和公園非常多。”最近這里還開放了第一個治療公園，以減輕老年人的壓力，改善他們的心理健康。

Health-averse habits are also harder to maintain in Singapore. “Expats should know that ‘vices’ are a lot more expensive here,” said Chau. “Cigarettes and alcohol are heavily taxed and cost a lot more than in other countries.”
在新加坡，不健康的習慣也很難維持。比諾說，“移居這里的外國人應該知道，這里保持‘惡習’的代價很高。政府對香煙和酒精征收重稅，所以價格比其他國家要高得多。”

Switzerland 瑞士

Men fare better in Switzerland than anywhere else in the world, living to be 81 on average. As one of Europe’s wealthiest countries, access to high-quality healthcare, strong personal safety and sense of wellbeing contributes to the high rank – with some studies even pointing to the country’s high intake of cheese and dairy as a leading factor.
瑞士人的生活比世界上任何地方都好，平均壽命為81歲。瑞士是歐洲最富裕的國家之一、醫療保健質量高、個人安全意識強、人們幸福感較高，這些都有助于這里的人保持長壽。一些研究還指出，瑞士人大量攝入奶酪和奶制品也是長壽的主要因素之一。

Though the country can be very career focused with many expats moving for work at one of the country’s many international headquarters, its central location makes it easy to balance frequent relaxing escapes. “It’s a career pinnacle, location-wise,” said Gatti, who has also lived in Switzerland. “Living here allows for wonderful weekend trips all over the continent and to spend time outdoors in the enchanting Alps.” The private schools are also some of the “best on the planet,” he added, which makes it appealing to young families.
雖然瑞士人事業心很強，有許多外國人移居到瑞士在眾多國際總部工作，但其處于歐洲中部的地理位置也讓人們很容易外出度假放松。曾居住在瑞士的加蒂說，“這里是人們事業的巔峰，而且位置優越。居住在瑞士，周末你就可以環游歐洲大陸，還可以去迷人的阿爾卑斯山旅游。”他還說，這里還有“全球最好的”私立學校，因此對年輕家庭很有吸引力。

South Korea 韓國

South Korea is set to be the first country to hit a life expectancy of 90 years according to recent research, which credits a strong and growing economy, broad access to healthcare and lower blood pressure than Western countries for its upward trajectory.
根據最近的研究，韓國將成為第一個預期壽命達到90歲的國家，這歸功于韓國經濟增長強勁，人們廣泛享受到良好的醫療條件，居民血壓低于西方國家，因此人均壽命一直在上升。

The country also has a diet rich in fermented foods, which are said to lower cholesterol, boost immunity and inhibit cancer. “As a whole, Korean food is high in fibre and nutrient-dense,” Hoheb said.
韓國飲食富含發酵食品，據稱可以降低膽固醇，提高免疫力，抑制癌癥。全球養生旅游創始人霍希伯說，“總體而言，韓國食品富含纖維，營養豐富。”

Residents say a cultural focus on community and the associated traditions contributes to the everyday quality of life here. “The Jimjilbang (public bathhouse) brings together people to recreate, to socialise and to help reduce stress,” said Camille Hoheb, founder of Wellness Tourism Worldwide. “In South Korea, there’s also an overall sense of mindfulness that comes with the Buddhist mindset and an overall attitude toward a culture of cooperation versus individualism.”
當地居民表示，重視社區和相關傳統的文化氛圍有助于提高這里的日常生活質量。卡米爾?霍希伯說，“韓國汗蒸館（公共澡堂）讓人們齊聚一堂，消遣，社交，有助于減輕壓力。總體來看，韓國人有一種來自佛教思維的正念意識，和注重合作并反對個人主義的心態。”

來源：BBC、參考消息網
翻譯&編審：yaning