{"id":117946,"date":"2026-10-17T15:10:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=117946"},"modified":"2026-10-17T15:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:19:08","slug":"judi-dench-work-longevity-hack","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/judi-dench-work-longevity-hack\/","title":{"rendered":"Judi Dench, 91, May Be Following a Japanese Longevity Secret Without Even Realizing It \u2014 and It Could Be the Key to Living Longer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dame
Getty: Samir Hussein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 91, Judi Dench has had a long and versatile career. She\u2019s known for playing M in James Bond<\/a>, she acted in Shakespeare in Love, and has been on stage at the theatre countless times over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019s critically acclaimed for the work she\u2019s done too \u2014 she has an Oscar, a Tony, two Golden Globes, six BAFTAs and seven Olivier Awards. But she\u2019s absolutely not done yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her memoirist and friend, Brendan O’Hea shares quotes in The Times<\/a>, of where Judi explains that there are lots of parts of ageing that she doesn\u2019t enjoy. \u201cYou have to contend with people asking, \u2018When are you going to retire?\u2019 or, \u2018Isn\u2019t it about time you put your feet up?\u2019 No, it bloody well isn\u2019t,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, she wants to keep working for a while yet. \u201cI want to be like Newton Blick, who died in his dressing room after a performance,\u201d she says of the Hollywood actor made famous in the 1950s. \u201cI want to be one of those women who throw themselves out of planes when they\u2019re 100.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And while it might not sound like the best way to live into old age<\/a>, there is some science to suggest she\u2019s following a longevity hack.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Daniel
Judi Dench with James Bond costar, Daniel Craig and director Marc Forster, Getty: Rosie Greenway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Purpose-Led Longevity Hack<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is a concept originating in Japan known as \u2018ikigai.\u2019 This refers to your sense of purpose, or what gets you out of bed in the morning. The Japanese island of Okinawa is thought to be a \u2018blue zone,\u2019 meaning they have a particularly high number of centenarians (people living to 100). And locals put this concept of having an \u2018ikigai\u2019 as one of the reasons they live so long.<\/span><\/p>\n

After retiring, many locals will volunteer in their local area, look after grandchildren \u2014 or even starting a new hobby like gardening. And r<\/span>esearch has confirmed that having a purpose like this can add years to your lifespan.<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2008 study <\/span><\/a>across over 43,000 Japanese adults looked into whether having this sense of purpose could actually extend your life in old age. The results found that over a seven year period, participants who didn\u2019t<\/em> have a sense of purpose were significantly more likely to die of heart problems and other external causes.<\/span><\/p>\n

And another study <\/span><\/a>across US adults gave the same result \u2014 older adults were much more likely to live longer with some kind of purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say, you should work yourself into the grave, rather find something that gets you out of bed each morning \u2014 and it could help you live a long and happy life<\/a>, whether it\u2019s selling jams at the local farmer market or throwing yourself out of planes, like Judi suggests.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42794,"featured_media":117948,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[6939,23,16,2723],"yoast_head":"\nJudi Dench's Longevity Hack Could Help You Live To 100<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dame Judi Dench says that she isn't retiring any time soon. 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