This post was written by Ejaz Shaikh, undergraduate student of psychology at Thakur Ramnarayan College of Arts and Commerce, Mumbai, India.

“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” –Rabindranath Tagore

A thousand miles from the bustling metropolitan city of Tokyo lies a serene subtropical chain of islands called Okinawa. Any fortunate visitor wandering near those turquoise waters has a healthy chance of stumbling upon a jolly group of Kimono-clad octogenarians giddy about “sado”—or the tea ceremony they are heading to. Okinawa is one of those famed blue zones—rare locations wherein people can be expected to hit an age of 100 usually unburdened by any chronic ailment. Research has made it clear that the lifestyle in these blue zones is a major catalyst in life longevity—specifically, social contacts with near and dear ones.

Globally, cultures distinguish themselves by struggling along the axes of society and the self. Self-valuing cultures, wherein autonomy and accomplishments are highly valued, are called individualistic cultures. On the contrary, cultures valuing social harmony and cohesion are collectivistic. Although the studies are slightly ambiguous, the rise of hyper-individualism in predominantly Western cultures has increased their susceptibility to loneliness. Collectivist societies aren’t immune to........

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