Successful Aging uses research from developmental neuroscience and the psychology of individual differences to show that sixty-plus years is a unique developmental stage that, like infancy or adolescence, has its own demands and distinct advantages. Levitin looks at the science behind what we all can learn from those who age joyously, as well as how to adapt our culture to take full advantage of older people’s wisdom and experience. Throughout his exploration of what aging really means, Levitin reveals resilience strategies and practical, cognitive enhancing tricks everyone should do as they age.
The book is packed with accessible and discussable takeaways, providing great material for reading groups and media coverage.
Successful Aging inspires a powerful new approach to how readers think about our final decades, and it will revolutionize the way we plan for old age as individuals, family members, and citizens within a society where the average life expectancy continues to rise.
Author of the iconic bestsellers This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind, Daniel Levitin turns his keen insights to what happens in our brains as we age, why we should think about health span, not life span, and, based on a rigorous analysis of neuroscientific evidence, what you can do to make the most of your seventies, eighties, and nineties today no matter how old you are now.
Review
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
“[C]utting-edge science . . .”—Maclean’s
“This is the book I need now. This is probably the book YOU need now. Levitin beautifully weaves hard science with more subtle, subjective agents of change— compassion, friendship, the redemptive power of work—into a refreshing guide for those of us navigating the penultimate stage of life.”—Rosanne Cash, Four-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter, author of Composed
“A wise, insightful, and beautifully written book on how we can navigate the waters of time. Helpful for readers at any age.”—Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness
“If you’re planning to age, read this book. Wise, sensitive, and insightful, Levitin shares the tools that allow you to optimize the process.”—David Eagleman, Stanford University neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author of The Brain and Incognito
“Predictions are perilous, but here’s one I can make with certainty: Tomorrow you and I will be older than we are today. That’s why you, I, and everyone we know needs this remarkable book. With a scientist’s rigor and a storyteller’s flair, Daniel Levitin offers a fresh approach to growing older. He debunks the idea that aging inevitably brings infirmity and unhappiness and instead offers a trove of practical, evidence-based guidance for living longer and better. SUCCESSFUL AGING is an essential book for the rest of your life.”—Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVE
“Growing old may be the only event in life that is both desired and feared. Daniel Levitin alleviates the fear with sound advice that can tilt the balance so that we have more healthy years and fewer sick ones. The brilliance of this book is that Levitin not only tells us what to do and what not to do—he gracefully and eloquently shares the science behind how we can change our minds and brains, and how even small changes can reap large benefits. Share this book—especially with anyone you hope to grow old with.”—Diane Halpern, past-president of the American Psychological Association, professor, Claremont-McKenna College
Leave Comment