Successful Aging Book Summary - Successful Aging Book explained in key points

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Successful Aging summary

Name: Successful Aging
Rating: 4.5 (219 reviews)
Author: Daniel J. Levitin

Daniel Levitin

A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives.

4.5 (219 ratings)

23 mins

Brief summary

Successful Aging by Daniel J. Levitin is a guide to aging well that combines scientific research with practical advice on how to maintain physical and cognitive health, build resilience, and find happiness in the later years of life.

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Table of Contents

Successful Aging
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Learn how to live longer, happier and healthier.

Try as we might, none of us can escape growing old. Cognitive and physical abilities shift, and old age brings new obstacles. We might not be able to do our favorite hike anymore, or completing the crossword might become too taxing.

Although there are undeniably challenges in aging, it’s also a time in which neurological shifts usher in some positive changes. We are more likely to feel at peace, to be able to regulate our emotions, and focus on the important things. Even more importantly, there are a number of factors within our control that can have a huge impact on whether we experience aging as a time of decline, or a time to flourish in new and different ways.

These blinks explain how your brain changing as you age offers new opportunities, how many ideas about aging are actually myths, and how you can apply a simple, five-part principle to make your life longer, happier, and healthier.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

which personality traits are linked to longevity;
how cuddling your children extends their predicted life spans; and
why the Dalai Lama sleeps nine hours every night.

Although we often think of old age as a time of mental decline, it also brings improvements in brain function.

When you hear the words “growing old,” what do you think of? Maybe you picture a nursing home, or endless doctor’s appointments. Most likely, what you are picturing has negative associations. But while there are challenges that accompany aging, there are also a lot of positive aspects to growing older.

There’s no denying that, as we age, aspects of our mental capabilities decline. Due to plaque build up in the brain and the reduction of neurochemicals and dopamine, we experience slowing of cognitive function. That’s why it can take us longer to recall a name, or why we might leave our keys in the refrigerator.

But it turns out that other neurological shifts in the brain open the door for new, positive things as well. For instance, as we age, a chemical change takes place that literally makes it easier for us to accept death. In fact, due to deactivation of our amygdala – an area of the brain responsible for memory, decision-making, and emotional responses – we experience less fear in general, and are more emotionally balanced. Research also shows increased tendencies toward understanding, forgiveness, tolerance, and compassion.

Another strength that comes with aging has to do with two important categories of intelligence: practical intelligence and perceptual completion. Studies show that people over the age of 50 score the highest in both of these categories.

When asked questions like, “Imagine you are stranded on the side of an interstate in a blizzard. What would you do?,” studies show that the older you are, the better you will be at coming up with solutions. This is an example of practical intelligence, and it is informed by a lifetime of experience.

Similarly, perceptual completion is a skill that is critical for survival, and that only strengthens as we age. Because of the way perception works, we often have blind spots that our brain needs to fill in, or “complete.” Imagine that you’re driving into a gated community and you pass a sign. Because of your position and speed, you see lcck the gate. Your brain automatically turns lcck into lock, based on the context. Our brains are constantly making these leaps, and the brains of older people statistically score higher at filling in these details.

Every stage of life has pros and cons. Aging successfully means accepting the limitations and challenges that come, but also enjoying the positive parts.

Aging successfully depends on debunking the many myths about growing old.

In the previous blink, we began to explore how the aging brain doesn’t simply decline, but actually enjoys some neurochemical benefits. Now we’ll look at two other myths about aging that need to be debunked.

The first myth is about memory loss. How often do you hear old age characterized as a time of forgetfulness? In reality, memory function is way more complex than people tend to think. For one thing, research shows that people of all ages experience short-term memory lapses. It’s just that when we’re young, we tend to shrug it off, saying that we’re tired or overworked, or maybe even that we’re just having an off day. Conversely, when older people experience short-term memory loss, they have been primed to believe it’s the result of cognitive decline.

When you give your child an extra cuddle, you’re extending their longevity.

Everyone ages differently. How we age is impacted by our genetics, our opportunities, and our environment. However, one of the biggest factors that impacts how we experience our later years is our childhood.

This brings us to our next question: What do cuddles have to do with life span?

It’s possible to change our brains in ways that increase healthy longevity.

In the early twentieth century, thinkers like Sigmund Freud and William James argued that our personality was set in stone at a young age. Whether that’s true or not is crucial, as research shows that the single most important determinant of lifetime happiness is your personality. So, on a neurochemical level, are we stuck with who we are, or is change possible?

First off, it’s important to note that our personality isn’t just constructed out of our neurochemistry, but also by our environment and our opportunities. Nevertheless, the way our brains operate on a chemical level does have a huge impact on how we interpret, react, and engage with the world around us, all of which plays a big role in determining our personalities.

To age successfully, use the five-part COACH principle: curiosity, openness, associations, conscientiousness, and healthy practices.

Calm and quiet Sarah will likely live longer than risk-loving Derrick because she is conscientious. But this is just one of what the author has coined as the five crucial aspects to healthy aging. These five aspects form the COACH principle: curiosity, openness, associations, conscientiousness, and healthy practices. Let’s dive into three more of them.

Imagine two people get admitted to a nursing home on the same day. Luca recently fell and now has to walk with a cane, which he hates. After a lifetime of achievements in the business world and prowess on the tennis court, Luca is ashamed of his diminished abilities. As a result, he spends most of his time alone, and doesn’t take the risk of trying anything new.

If you want to eat well as you age, stop listening to all the diet fads.

Now we come to the last of the five COACH aspects: healthy practices. And healthy practices start with healthy eating.

Depending on when and where you grew up, you have probably been exposed to a number of different diets that celebrities, friends, or coworkers take on and swear by. The problem, as Stanford nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner puts it, is that no matter how crazy or unfounded a diet is, if you get enough people to try it, it will work for someone. Diets that have absolutely no scientific backing, from a tapeworm diet to a placenta diet, get promoted by a small number of influential voices who experienced success.

Physical movement has the biggest impact on healthy longevity.

Imagine you’re walking on an unfamiliar dirt path in nature. There are branches and rocks, and diverse scenery all around you. Every step you take, your brain and body need to work together to make hundreds of micro adjustments for foot pressure, angle, and pace. To do this, your hippocampus is activated, and your brain starts firing in the exact way it has developed to be used. By taking a walk, you’re actually doing the single best thing for your mental and bodily health!

As we age, it’s common to let go of physical exercise. We’re no longer able to run that 10K charity race or play pick-up soccer. As our dexterity declines, so too does our motivation. After all, there’s nothing glamorous about taking a walk around the block or spending ten minutes on a stationary bike. Why bother?

If you want to make the most of your life, sleep more!

In a time when productivity is valued aboveover all else, it’s common for people to brag about how little sleep they’re getting. But the reality is that sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining a long health span. You may feel like you’re less productive when you need to give up that event or that extra hour at work. But, in the long term, you’re adding time onto your life!

Unfortunately, there’s a myth that as we age, we need less sleep. In reality, it isn’t that older people need less sleep, but that they have a harder time getting it. That’s because as we age, the signaling from a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus – or “SCN” – degrades. Think of the SCN as your master clock. It regulates your circadian rhythm, which is essentially how your brain operates in a twenty-four-hour cycle, signaling things like when to get sleepy or when to wake up.

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What is Successful Aging about?

Successful Aging (2020) turns the idea that old age is a time of inevitable decline and discomfort on its head. Daniel J. Levitin gives us insight into the neuroscience of aging and, along the way, a bunch of tips about how we can not only cope with aging, but actually appreciate it as a unique life phase.

Successful Aging Review

Successful Aging (2020) by Daniel J. Levitin is a fascinating exploration of how we can age gracefully and maximize our quality of life. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

Offering practical strategies backed by scientific research, it empowers readers to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives as they age.
With its insightful analysis of the aging process, the book challenges common misconceptions and provides a fresh perspective on growing older.
The author's engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes make the book a captivating read, ensuring that aging is anything but boring.

Best quote from Successful Aging

The one constant of happy people seems to be that they dont think about happiness – theyre too busy doing things and being happy to stop and think about it.

—Daniel J. Levitin

Who should read Successful Aging?

Anyone who plans on aging
Friends, partners, and family of an aging loved one
Neuroscience buffs

About the Author

Daniel J. Levitin is an emeritus professor of psychology and behavioral neuroscience at McGill University. He is the author of four best-selling books, including The Organized Mind. Levitin is also a well known public speaker, and his TED Talk has over 16 million views.

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