WHY CULTURAL CONTEXT IS VITAL TO STUDY LONGEVITY IN JAPAN
Yasuyuki Gondo · 2024
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Description
Yasuyuki Gondo wrote this 2024 essay arguing that culture, not just wealth, explains the extraordinary longevity of Japan. Centenarians are multiplying worldwide, yet their share differs wildly by country, usually blamed on economics. Japan pairs the top centenarian ratio in the world with a strikingly large bed-bound elderly population, a paradox money alone cannot explain.
Gondo credits a traditional attitude of deference toward the old. Universal insurance, a healthy diet, and rituals like Respect for the Aged Day support that attitude; the holiday dates to 1963, when gifts and cash for seniors began. Yet the culture is shifting: only 25 percent of Japanese in a multi-country survey wish to reach 100, the lowest share anywhere. The leading reason is dread of burdening others, fed by seeing bed-bound elders daily.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yasuyuki Gondo |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 2 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |