As the largest Blue Zones Project® demonstration site, Fort Worth is on its way to becoming one of the nation’s healthiest cities. It may also be one of the happiest—and residents are sharing their secrets in a new book.
National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner is the author of three New York Times bestselling books (“The Blue Zones,” “Thrive,” and “The Blue Zones Solution”) and the founder of Blue Zones Project, a community-led well-being improvement initiative. He has spent the last 15 years helping people live healthier, more fulfilling lives. His latest book, “The Blue Zones of Happiness,” focuses on the world’s happiest places, and explores how people can apply the lessons of true happiness in their own lives. The book features Fort Worth residents who have done just that.
- On any given day, Fort Worth 911 operators answer more than 150 calls, some of them life-threatening. To deal with the stress, one operator recruited coworkers to join a Blue Zones Project moai—a circle of friends who share interests and agree to take regular walks. Now more than 30 employees participate, and the effort has improved teamwork and enhanced employee morale. Buettner writes satisfied workers take fewer sick days, are more productive, and tend to treat customers and co-workers better.
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One of the most effective things a community can do to enhance happiness is make it easier to volunteer, according to Buettner’s book. Volunteerism keeps people engaged with others, enhances sense of purpose, and reduces the risk of health problems. Bertha Barnes, a 79-year-old great-grandmother, is a great example. Barnes joined the Blue Zones Project movement as a volunteer in a “Walking School Bus” effort. Once a week, she and several other adults show up bright and early to walk to school with area children. Barnes is making an investment in the children and herself, Buettner writes, as “volunteering engenders happiness both ways, giving and receiving.”
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The Fort Worth neighborhood of White Lake Hills took on Blue Zones Project to build bridges between generations and expand neighbor-to-neighbor connections. Residents of the 580-home subdivision completed a checklist of recommended activities, including organizing healthy potluck meals and walking groups and reaching out to isolated and vulnerable residents. The neighborhood has grown stronger, and Buettner says the social connections and sense of community they are building are key contributors to overall happiness.
Since Blue Zones Project, Fort Worth launched in 2015, more than 65,000 individuals have become involved in a Blue Zones Project activity. Additionally, more than 200 organizations—including worksites, restaurants, schools, grocery stores, and faith-based organizations—have become Blue Zones Project Approved™ or Participating Organizations. For more information on how to put Blue Zones principles to work in your life, visit LiveLongFortWorth.com.