Eighty Percent Full
Hara hachi bu & the art of moderation
At lunch this past week, we had a delicious Mediterranean meal catered to the Percolate office. Near the end of the meal, everyone in earshot claimed to have eaten too much. I mentioned a concept called “hara hachi bu” which I was first introduced to via a brilliant essay titled “State of the Species” — the essay raises so many good points around the destiny of our species and planet in the context of tremendous population growth. Well worth a read. But back to hara hachi bu.
Let’s start in Japan.
The Okinawans are a group of indigenous folk from Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. Among many fascinating cultural traits, one in particular stands out: Okinawans boast one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
Life expectancy at birth is generally accepted as a strong indicator of overall quality of life, and tends to be associated with various socioeconomic factors.
I once conducted a multiple regression analysis for a college econometrics course to determine which factors tend to be the most strongly correlated with life expectancy. Unsurprisingly, life expectancy had strong inverse correlation with TB and HIV prevalence, and strong correlation with income per capita for example. But while organizations like the United Nations are rightfully interested in setting life expectancy goals and standards based on these types of data links, it’s important to humanize our understanding of life expectancy and similar measurements.
What would the Okinawa locale attribute their high life expectancy to?
Perhaps just three words: hara hachi bu.
A Confusian philosophy that instructs a self-imposed caloric restriction, hara hachi bu translates to something like, “belly 80 percent full”.
No loosening the belts at dinner tables in Okinawa.
At its core, this is simple moderation. But the concept is ingrained in the culture of Okinawa. And compounded, it has profound implications.
The practice of hara hachi bu aligns with a broader philosophy of healthy consumption & lifelong physical activity; Okinawan diets are mostly plant-based, and locals tend to practice martial arts, garden, and…just…go for walks. Without their smartphones.
I work at a startup in Soho. No one just goes for an aimless walk. Maybe that needs to change.
Some say that moderation is the key to life. Too much of anything—work, food, technology, what have you—is unhealthy. And so perhaps hara hachi bu is just a metaphor for a greater balance in life.
Sometimes it’s okay to strive for less than 100%.
