There is a reason Americans are flocking to France, not just to visit, but to live. And who can blame them? With everything going on in the world, France, or certainly my slice of it, is deliciously normal and feels almost like it did fifty years ago.
Life here is simple, easy, and stress-free, which is probably why the French are living longer than the Americans. Things don’t move at a hundred miles an hour here. We don’t work all the hours God sends, and nobody cares what you drive, whether your closet is full of designer clothes, or where you vacation. It’s about the simple things in life: family, food, and taking time to smell the roses.
If you’ve never considered moving here, you might want to after reading this. The French approach to daily living delivers something most Americans chase but never quite catch: a genuinely healthier, longer life.
So, Why Do the French Live Longer Than the Americans?
Well, despite all the marketing rammed down our throats telling us how bad things like bread, butter, cheese, and wine are for us, it’s those very same things the French indulge in regularly. Bread is eaten daily, often more than once, and it’s sacrilege not to have a glass of wine with your meal.
Cheese has its own course before dessert, and butter here is salted and so, so good.
That doesn’t play into the rhetoric we’re fed by the media. However, the stats speak for themselves.
According to World Data, American men typically live to 73.5 years, while women reach 79.3. Nothing to sneeze at, right?
But French men? They’re hitting 79.3 years. French women are living to 85.5. That’s nearly six extra years for both sexes. Six years of additional life simply by embracing a different approach to daily existence.
Those extra years aren’t coming from some magical French gene. They’re the result of everyday choices about how to spend time, what to eat, and how to actually live instead of just exist.
Is it any wonder then that the number of Americans moving to France is increasing? The number of first residency cards issued to Americans increased in 2024 to 13,000, up 5% from the previous year. What will it be by the end of 2025, I wonder?
5 Things the French Do That Help Them to Live Longer
Of course, extra years of life expectancy aren’t guaranteed. But when you embrace the French approach to eating, moving, working, and living, you’re stacking the odds in your favor.
No. 1 The French Lifestyle
France operates on a completely different speed setting than America. The difference shows up everywhere, starting with something as simple as lunch.
Americans wolf down meals at their desks, phones in hand, emails flying, conversations nonexistent. The French? They close down at lunchtime so employees can eat properly. My local bank rep regularly enjoys a glass of wine with his midday meal at the restaurant down the street.
Mealtimes here are protected. Sacred, even. Nobody rushes through food, and people certainly don’t eat while working.
The vacation gap speaks volumes, too. Americans scrape by with two weeks off annually if they’re lucky. In France, 30 paid vacation days represent the baseline, with many people getting even more.
No. 2 The French Walk Everywhere
Walk into a French gym, and you’ll find… well, you probably won’t find one. The French look at you like you’ve lost your mind when you mention gym memberships. I have absolutely no idea of the one nearest me, but it will probably be somewhere in Angouleme, our main city, about forty minutes away.
Instead, they understand something Americans have forgotten: daily walking provides all the cardiovascular benefits without destroying your joints. They take stairs instead of elevators, walk the dog for hours, and yes, they line dance instead of suffering through spin classes.
I’m not kidding about the line dancing. I joined a French line dancing group, and it has helped my fitness level way more than going to the gym. We dance for two hours pretty much nonstop, and I’m exhausted at the end of it, but it’s so much fun, as it’s social too. Oh, and it’s done wonders for my French.
Studies consistently show French citizens walk significantly more than the average American. They’ve built this movement into daily life rather than treating exercise as something requiring special equipment and scheduled time blocks.
No. 3 A Glass of Wine a Day is Medicinal
A glass of wine each day keeps the Grim Reaper away. You don’t have to take my word for it because doctors agree. Moderate wine consumption offers genuine health benefits, including reduced risk of dementia.
Notice that word: moderate. The French people I know love their wine, but they don’t abuse it. One or two glasses with dinner suffice. Nobody’s polishing off an entire bottle solo in an evening. It’s everything in moderation.
No. 4 Sex Isn’t Just For Birthdays and Christmas
Here’s something that surprised me. A 2008 study revealed that 90 percent of French women over 50 maintain sexually active lives compared with an estimated 60 percent of American women.
You can now tell your partner that regular intimacy counts as healthcare. All those endorphins flooding your brain? The cardiovascular boost? The blood pressure reduction? All medically documented benefits.
No. 5 Portion Size
Having lived in the States, I remember those massive portions that leave you uncomfortably full. It’s the same in the UK. When we have a roast dinner, there is no room left on the plate. France takes a completely different approach.
When we eat out here, I never waddle away feeling like my stomach might explode. The portions are much smaller as we have more courses. Even the plates are smaller. The French don’t really overindulge, and if they do, it’s done over a much longer period of time, giving your body time to properly digest. And nobody ever rushes you out the door. Once you claim a table at a French restaurant, it’s yours for the entire evening.
These differences accumulate. Going to bed on a full stomach? Not good for you. Taking time to digest properly while enjoying conversation? Much better.
Living Longer Starts With Living Better
The French aren’t doing anything groundbreaking; they’re simply living in a way that feels good, tastes good, and brings genuine joy. That’s the secret nobody wants to hear because it can’t be bottled, subscribed to, or downloaded.
You can’t buy French longevity in a supplement or find it in a fitness app. It comes from sitting at a table for three hours without checking your phone. From walking to the bakery every morning because that’s just what you do. From understanding that wine with dinner isn’t a guilty pleasure but part of a balanced life.
Small changes in how you approach daily life accumulate into something bigger. The French figured this out centuries ago. The rest of us are still catching up.