Sign-In
Cart
The Joyful Century: What Centenarians Know About Living Longer-and Better
Paperback
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 516
Weight: 1.50
Height: 1.04 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Joyful Century: What Centenarians Know About Living Longer-and Better is a groundbreaking exploration of aging that challenges the entrenched cultural myth of inevitable decline. Drawing on decades of scientific research, global longevity studies, and intimate portraits of centenarians from Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda, and Nicoya, Yibelu Workineh reframes aging as a dynamic, joyful, and purposeful stage of life. This book is not about surviving longer-it is about thriving longer, with vitality, resilience, and meaning.
At its core lies the Centenarian Code(TM), a constellation of five guiding principles distilled from the lived experiences of those who have crossed the threshold of one hundred years. These principles-natural movement, balanced plant-rich nutrition, deep social connection, a clear sense of purpose (ikigai), and effective stress release-form a replicable blueprint for extending not just lifespan but healthspan. Workineh demonstrates that longevity is not a genetic accident but a cultural and lifestyle achievement, accessible to anyone willing to embrace these timeless practices.
The book begins by dismantling the decline narrative, the pervasive belief that aging is synonymous with frailty, irrelevance, and loss. Through historical analysis, Workineh shows how industrialization, medicalization, and modern capitalism reshaped perceptions of aging, often reducing elders to burdens rather than contributors. Yet, the voices of centenarians contradict this script. Their lives reveal aging as a season of growth, creativity, and connection, where joy itself becomes a biological advantage-strengthening immunity, reducing inflammation, and enhancing neuroplasticity.
From there, The Joyful Century journeys into the biology of longevity, weaving together insights from the New England Centenarian Study and the Blue Zones project. While genetics play a role, research confirms that lifestyle and psychosocial factors account for the majority of variance in longevity outcomes. Centenarians flourish within a matrix of daily habits-walking hillsides, tending gardens, sharing meals, participating in rituals-that align with human biology and emotional needs. Their resilience is not accidental but cultivated through community, gratitude, and purpose.
The book's narrative power lies in its human stories. Readers meet Amado of Sardinia, whose olive grove and daily walks embody the principle of natural movement; Margot of Okinawa, whose rituals of reflection and gratitude sustain emotional resilience; and John of Loma Linda, whose plant-based diet and spiritual service illustrate the synergy of lifestyle and purpose. These portraits illuminate how centenarians transform adversity-wars, economic hardship, loss-into wisdom and strength. Their language itself is instructive: words of community, gratitude, and simplicity dominate, reflecting identities oriented toward life's positive dimensions rather than limitations.
Workineh emphasizes that joyful longevity is not about denying biological realities. Decline occurs, but it is not destiny. Aging is plastic, shaped by choices, environments, and attitudes. The Centenarian Code(TM) offers practical strategies for modern life: integrating natural movement into daily routines, cultivating plant-forward diets, fostering intergenerational bonds, rediscovering personal purpose, and practicing stress release through mindfulness, forgiveness, and curiosity. These are not extreme regimens but accessible, repeatable actions that anyone can adopt.
Also from
Workineh, Yibelu
When the Earth Turned Against Us: A Story of Survival at the End of the Equator
Workineh, Yibelu
Paperback
Also in
Gifts & Stationery General
Go-To Notebook with Mohawk Paper, Midnight Blue Blank: (Blank Notebooks, Simple Notebook, Blue Notebook)
Chronicle Books
Other
This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World
Andrea Di Robilant
Paperback
Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping: Protect, Enjoy, Harvest
Anderson, Stuart
Anderson, Cedar
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Snoopy (Officially Licensed Peanuts Product)
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Brain Games
Paperback
The Official Pumpkin Spice Café Cookbook: 60 Delicious Dream Harbor Recipes
Gilmore, Laurie
Thomas, Heather
Hardcover
Bear Hugs Notecards: (Cute Notecards, Notecards for Friends, Artistic Notecards with Envelopes)
Chronicle Books
Other
The Investor's Odyssey: Resisting the Sirens and Playing the Long Game
Mayer, Christopher W.
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Flowers & Nature Stained Glass (28 Images to Sticker)
Brain Games
New Seasons
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study
Henshall, Kenneth G.
Takagaki, Tetsuo
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number - Vintage: Animals (28 Images to Sticker)
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Paperback
3-Color Botanical Cyanotype Kit: Beginner-Friendly Solar Printing Kit for DIY Nature Art
Rafferty, Sarah Bourne
Hardcover
Once Upon a Cookbook: A Treasury of Recipes Inspired by Timeless Children's Books
Taylor, Bryton
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Gilded Gardens (24 Images to Sticker): Includes 2 Foil Sticker Sheets to Complete Each Image!
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Be Calm (28 Images to Sticker)
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Paperback
After Dinner Amusements: Truth or Dare for Couples: 50 Questions and Challenges
Chronicle Books
Other
The Three Books of Enoch, Plus the Enoch Portions of the Book of Jasher
Ben Elisha, Ishmael
Paperback
The World of Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None a 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle: Illustrated by Ruby Ash
Agatha Christie Ltd, Agatha Christie
Other
Tesla & The Cabbage Patch Kids: Exploring the lost Empire of Tartaria and the Reset of 1776
Anderson, Guy Peter
Paperback
Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing: I Survived Threshing Stickers - Sticker Set of 4
Out of Print
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Cozy Capybaras: Includes a Foil Sticker Sheet to Complete Each Image!
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Brain Games
Paperback
Book Club Bar: Literary-Inspired Drink Recipes for Your Next Great Read
Esten, Nat
Neary, Erin
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Enchanted Wonders (36 Images to Sticker): Includes Foil Stickers!
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Paperback
Brain Games - Search and Sticker: Animals (for Kids Ages 3-6)
Publications International Ltd
Little Grasshopper Books
Paperback
Faith Sprout The 66 Roots Journey: Understand Every Book of the Bible Without Getting Lost
Ross, John
Paperback