Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

Daniel J. Levitin

3.83 · Rating details · 1,343 ratings · 229 reviews

INSTANT TOP 10 BESTSELLER *New York Times *USAToday *Washington Post *LA Times

"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."
--Daniel H. Pink, author of When and Drive

SUCCESSFUL AGING delivers powerful insights:
- Debunking the myth that memory al ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 528 pages

Published January 7th 2020 by Dutton Books

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Successful Aging, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Blindspots Between Us by Gleb Tsipursky

The Singularity is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil

Science Published in Year: 2020

96 books — 33 voters

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

52 Book Club 2021: #34 A Book You’d Rate 5 Stars

218 books — 22 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.83 ·

Rating details

· 1,343 ratings · 229 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

Jan 28, 2020 Scott Wozniak rated it it was amazing

This is the best book on aging I've read yet. It covers everything from the social and emotional issues of aging to the neuroscience and even diet and supplements. The author does a great job giving you real science in a way that doesn't feel overcomplicated.

Some of this confirmed things I've read before:
-Your friendships matter tremendously and you have to keep investing in relationships or they will naturally fade as you and your friends age.
-When designing your final chapters of life, think This is the best book on aging I've read yet. It covers everything from the social and emotional issues of aging to the neuroscience and even diet and supplements. The author does a great job giving you real science in a way that doesn't feel overcomplicated.

Some of this confirmed things I've read before:
-Your friendships matter tremendously and you have to keep investing in relationships or they will naturally fade as you and your friends age.
-When designing your final chapters of life, think about the people you want to be with more than the places you want to be/things you want to do.
-Don't retire from meaningful work. You can slow down or do a different activity, but to stop doing things that matter is to invite decline and despair.
-Much of the physical decline we say is aging is really just decades of being out of shape. Stay active and push yourself. You might be surprised at what you can do (and how many aches and pains go away when you're back in shape.)
-Sleep is the most important health factor--and it's harder to sleep well when you're old. That doesn't mean give up. It means get more diligent to protect your sleep quality and quantity.

And there were some things that busted a lot of the myths I've read:
-We still don't don't what diets are best. Nutrition is so hard to pin down (hard to isolate it from other factors and it's so different person to person). So most of the supplements we are told to take have no scientific evidence to support them. This includes popular things like Omega 3 fatty acids (we need them, but so far taking pills doesn't actually show any improvements in our blood stream) and popular diets who remove whole categories of food (from vegetarian to Atkins). The key is variety of food types (except processed/fried foods, of course) and limits on the quantity.
-We still don't know how to avoid Alzheimer's and dementia.
-All the studies of communities of people who live 100+ are massively scientifically flawed. They've been discussed and dismissed by all the scientists in the field. They're anecdotal stories by non-scientists. There are just too few people and the variables are so complex that there's no real patterns that hold up under scrutiny. So beware of them.
-Your genes account for only 7% of your longevity (except for those cases when you have a congenital disease, such as a faulty heart valve). It's mostly how you live.

A few bonus ideas:
-We focus a lot on the diseases that keep us from dying (cancer, heart attack, etc.). But we don't put much attention or effort on the diseases that ruin our life enjoyment (diabetes, back injury, etc.). Don't just try not to do. Plan for a life that allows for pain-free mobility.
-Purpose trumps all else. Have a plan for how you can keep learning and make a difference in the world. ...more

flag 51 likes · Like · see review

Feb 08, 2020 Clif Hostetler added it · review of another edition

Shelves: health-and-selfhelp

This book combines knowledge from (1) developmental neuroscience and (2) individual differences (personality) psychology to help the reader understand the aging brain and the choices that can be made to maximize the chances of living long, happy, and productive lives. In the book's Introduction the author, Daniel J Levitin, claims that no other book intended for a popular audience has been written that covers the intersection of these two scientific fields.

The book is divided into three parts, ( This book combines knowledge from (1) developmental neuroscience and (2) individual differences (personality) psychology to help the reader understand the aging brain and the choices that can be made to maximize the chances of living long, happy, and productive lives. In the book's Introduction the author, Daniel J Levitin, claims that no other book intended for a popular audience has been written that covers the intersection of these two scientific fields.

The book is divided into three parts, (1) The Continually Developing Brain, (2) The Choices We Make, and (3) The New Longevity. Part One focuses on the ability of both the brain and personality to experience change, both good and bad. Part Two explores the ways the choices made made by individuals can influence health. Part Three explores new drugs and technology that have potential for prolonging health span portion of the life span.

This is a long book that seems to go on forever. There are overlapping subjects in the three parts so some material is referenced more than once. It’s written in a conversational tone with occasion mention of curious serendipitous phenomena, which are probably not appreciated by academic readers because I suspect they’re not all verified facts.

Aging has its down side—brain cell atrophy, DNA sequence damage, compromised cellular repair functions, and neurochemical and hormonal changes. But it’s not all bad. Among the chemical changes in the aging brain are a tendency toward understanding, forgiveness, tolerance, and acceptance. As indicated in the following excerpt, the older years are often experienced as the happiest.

When older people look back on their lives and are asked to pinpoint the age at which they were happiest, what do you suppose they say? Maybe age eight, when they had few cares? Maybe their teenage years because of all the activity and the discovery of sex? Maybe their college years, or the first years of starting a family? Wrong. The age that comes up most often as the happiest time of one’s life is eighty-two! The goal of this book is to help raise that number by ten or twenty years. Science says it can be done. And I’m with science.

...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2020 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

There are many books on the market that aim to document how to grow old in a healthy and life-affirming manner, however, this is one of the few written and comprehensively researched by a respected expert in the clinical area of neuroscience. The facts and statistics mentioned throughout are proven and so can be relied upon as methods to implement to try to ensure you live a long and happy life. The Changing Mind is a thought-provoking and eye-opening account of what happens to our brain during ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 Natalie Fincher rated it really liked it

Shelves: stopped-reading

I'm too dumb for this. ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2020 혜정 marked it as to-read

Iam seventy one years old woman. But I'd like to read new novels and listen to good music so that
I want to live by my self. When I have retired from professor five years ago I had depressed losted my punctual work. In my country many people thought as an unavailable person from retired their work. I have a complaint these conception. So I start to study regular lesson at open college and I always want to know how do I live my more older age.
I hope to meet and practice my life through Successfu ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2020 Julius Adams rated it it was ok

A lot of science to get to the same results people have known for a long time. Cicero said it all in his treatise in OLD AGE, summarized below. Same findings, just without the science. So what is new here? Don’t waste your money....

Below is a link to an excellent summary written by Dr. John Messerly on his web site, where you can read his entire commentary concerning Ciceros treatise. Thank you to him, it proves this book is not new or necessary in its philosophical thinking.

https://reasonandme ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2020 Taylor Ahlstrom rated it really liked it

Daniel Levitin’s Successful Aging is a relatable and expertly written guide to the scientific, social, and emotional process of aging, buoyed by the latest research into what we can do to increase not just our lifespan, but our healthspan—those years when we are still living healthy, active lives, not plagued by chronic pain and disease or tubed up in a hospital bed. As a neurologist, the book is heavily scientific, but Levitin does a commendable job of making complicated neural behaviors make s Daniel Levitin’s Successful Aging is a relatable and expertly written guide to the scientific, social, and emotional process of aging, buoyed by the latest research into what we can do to increase not just our lifespan, but our healthspan—those years when we are still living healthy, active lives, not plagued by chronic pain and disease or tubed up in a hospital bed. As a neurologist, the book is heavily scientific, but Levitin does a commendable job of making complicated neural behaviors make sense to the layman. In addition to the science, the book is filled with stories of people he knows and those he interviewed who have stayed active, sharp, and remained in their careers well into their nineties.

His point with these anecdotes is that we need to rethink aging and the elderly along with what we believe is possible after retirement. There is an undeniable stigma against the elderly in America that they are mostly useless and therefore oft forgotten. As to retirement, Levitin thinks we should get rid of it altogether. One of the main causes of cognitive decline in the elderly is not exercising those thinking muscles enough. As work also gives our lives meaning, there has been an increase in those who “unretire,” or rejoin the workforce after retirement. In addition to providing that meaning, work also keeps us active and social. Loneliness and inactivity are two significant causes of cognitive decline in the elderly. Loneliness is so serious a risk that Britain recently appointed a Minister of Loneliness just to address this problem in their increasingly-aged population.

Much of the book—in between all the science—is written from the personal perspective of Levitin, who is now sixty-two years old and is perhaps just beginning to feel many of the effects of aging that his book dives into in some detail. Whether it’s just forgetting why he walked into the kitchen, or that bum knee that will never be the same again, the reader feels a personal connection to the author and his work. Also, as a professional musician, many of his stories relate to music and his performance, which adds an extra touch of personality to a book written by a neuroscientist that had the potential to be both dry and overly technical. Luckily, his book is neither of those things.
One aspect of the book which deserves significant praise is the rigor with which Levitin investigates every possible claim or cure for aging. He informs the reader not only why certain medications work, but why others don’t, and is candid when modern medicine “simply doesn’t know why”—which is often the case when it comes to aging. The book contains over seventy-five pages of notes and resources, and the author claims to have reviewed around four thousand peer-reviewed papers to complete it. When a dietary or health claim mentions a paper or study with a low number of participants or one that was not peer-reviewed, he is quick to point that out.

While some may find the science in the book unnecessarily technical or overbearing, many may find it a helpful backdrop to understand the why behind the advice. Sure, there isn’t a lot of groundbreaking advice here when everyone knows they should eat more vegetables and get better sleep. But understanding how social interaction keeps our brains functioning at a higher level and why a walk in the woods does far more benefit than a walk on a treadmill may help more Americans embrace the suggestions he offers. He doesn’t shame or discount the medicinal benefits of many modern treatments, but he also notes their side effects and shortcomings, and it seems after every potential medication he mentions, the holistic answer is rather the better answer. You may be able to take a pill to feel happier, or you could talk to a friend and work on your coping mechanisms. The brain is an incredibly adaptable organ, and the more we train it, the more it can do for us.

While we may have figured out how certain drugs work in certain ways in the brain, there is still a lot we don’t know. At one point he refers to this as “looking for your keys under the streetlamp because it has the most light.” We are forced to experiment with the things we know the most about, because the other stuff just doesn’t make any sense yet. For every drug you put in your body, there are dozens or hundreds of interactions with every other system in your body, and each of those interactions are different for each and every person. Because of this, we can’t ever say one pill can cure this or that, but only that more people felt better than didn’t. In fact, for a treatment to gain FDA approval, it has to perform only 10 points better than a placebo—which is no treatment at all!

Ultimately, the point is that our bodies are miraculous things, and the only treatments we have found that work for everyone are the simplest ones: more love, more companionship, more meaning in life, more exercise—both mental and physical—and of course, eating more plants. These give you the best chance for extending your healthy years on earth. And most of the other medication that’s out there might help manage some of the aches and pains that inevitably come along the way.
...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 20, 2019 Roxanne rated it it was amazing

I thought this was a heavy book about how to age well. It is pretty scientific but it has good information.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2020 Terri rated it liked it

This book sounded interesting but it was way too detailed for me to enjoy. Felt more like a textbook. I’d recommend cliff notes for this one.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2020 Ruth Kamau rated it liked it

This book is long, filled with technical terms, and in the end... it does nothing to fulfill the promise given by the title.

It goes on and on about roles of hormones, what doesn’t work, experiments gone wrong, and then provides the most cliche advise about how to be happy in old age.

Coulda just started with that and saved us the repetitive ways of explaining Alzheimer’s and dementia.

All in all, some may appreciate this.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2020 Julie rated it it was ok

I felt like the book mostly dealt with research on drugs to reduce effects of aging. I wanted to hear more about what I can do personally. There was some of that, and those were the parts I enjoyed. What I found most interesting is the effect moderate or even slow walking can have on the cognitive processes of the brain. In other words, keep moving.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2020 Valerie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Your Brain On Age

Wonderful book loaded with health information younger eyes should read. I found answers why and how my husband and my own thinking are changing as we approach our sixth decade. The science, anatomical, chemical and time changes accumulated in life is explained with an energy to age with courage, love and laughter. Will keep for future reference!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2020 Karen Ng rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21st-century-learning, aging, non-fiction, health, neuroscience

The book is more technical and scientific than I expected. I find some chapters too overwhelming and tedious even though I was a scientist before retirement; read hundreds of books on neuro/ cognitive science after my brain bleed 3 years ago. The author's researches were very thorough and interesting, but attempting to educate an average reader with function and anatomy of the human brain, personality traits, memory categorization, cognitive science, as well as the effects of genes, environment, ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2020 Dave Mills rated it did not like it

True confession: I really didn't finish this book. In fact, I only made it to page 67. Wanna know why? Of course you don't, but I'll tell you nevertheless.
Skip 400 pages of shit, go to page 401 (hardcopy edition) and read "APPENDIX REJUVENATING YOUR BRAIN." That'll give you an idea of just how bad this book is.
Alas, in my "declining," addled old age, I tend to fall for books that might give me the magic elixir, the location of the fountain of youth, the Philosopher's Stone, potions, diets, chem ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2020 Kristin rated it did not like it

I only got 54 pages in and screw this book. Far too technical and I can’t stand the tangents made in the book that are irrelevant. No one cares about you learning to drive clutch in San Fran when you’re discussing procedural memory. Had some interesting points that makes me wish this book just kept the interesting stuff and therefore shortened into a 150 page book. As another reviewer said, just flip to page 401 and read the appendix.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2020 David rated it liked it

Sensible advice wrapped in scientific garb.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2020 Steve rated it really liked it

A lot of good information, and Levitin is a good writer. But I think I’ve read most of the neuroscience stuff in other pop-neurosci books, and almost all of the old-age advice seemed pretty familiar also, like from NYT articles. Not Levitin’s fault if I read this kind of stuff a lot I guess. I really liked his book about music, none of his other books have matched that for me.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 11, 2020 Sara Budarz rated it really liked it

Shelves: death-and-illness, the-body

My mother is in her 70s and she has spent the last decade often casually mentioning the fact that if she didn't happen to look in the mirror, or down at her aging hands, she would never know that she is that old. She doesn't feel her age. What it means to be in your 70s is of course subjective, but what she means is that she doesn't feel the way that others seem to expect her to feel. She doesn't want to slow down, she still has big dreams and plans for the next decades, she still travels, and i My mother is in her 70s and she has spent the last decade often casually mentioning the fact that if she didn't happen to look in the mirror, or down at her aging hands, she would never know that she is that old. She doesn't feel her age. What it means to be in your 70s is of course subjective, but what she means is that she doesn't feel the way that others seem to expect her to feel. She doesn't want to slow down, she still has big dreams and plans for the next decades, she still travels, and is learning a new language (her fifth? sixth?) and she does intense physical work in her garden. Sure, there might be some aches here and there, but overall, she has very little interest in the "senior" activities offered by her community and the implied lower level of these activities. Last summer, one of her neighbors kindly reprimanded her for traveling abroad, saying that "people our age really shouldn't be doing those sorts of things." We often talk about aging and the way she notices people treating her differently, or the feeling of becoming more and more invisible as you age. Society, it seems, has very low expectations for the later decades of our lives.

And so when I saw this book, I was excited to read it, because it seemed to be a book that goes against the general trend of talking about older age as this terrible time of aches and pain and decline. After reading it, I’d highly recommend this book to everyone, both because we will all age someday and/or have people we love who might get there first.

There is so much information packed into these pages, but here are some of the key takeaways:

1. One of the most important things that will determine how well you age is the strength of your bonds to others. So cultivate love and friendships, and keep at them, throughout life. And rid yourself of toxic people; stress is bad. Love is good.

2. Physical activity matters, a lot. Your brain wants novelty and exercise, ideally in nature. So go for runs and walks and hikes and bike rides and keep at it. Most of what we think of as inevitable signs of aging is actually just the effect of being out of shape. Even if you have been out of shape, start now, even if you are in your 80s and 90s. It will make a huge difference to your mental alertness.

3. Your brain wants and needs to keep exploring and learning new things. So take walks and take in new surroundings. Travel if you can. Interact with new people. It is especially important to engage with new technology, both because learning to use it is good for your brain, but also bc it keeps you from feeling like you are too old to be current.

4. Drink more water, and use hydration salts if needed. A lot of mental fogginess is probably just dehydration, because as we age, the system responsible for signaling thirst gets worn out and we don't register the need as much.

5. Eat well. There are probably many forms of eating that will work, but the few absolutes are that we need veggies, lots and a variety, and proteins and good fats. Also, restricting calories (via fasting intervals) seems to be really healthy, but do whatever healthy thing feels doable. But lots of veggies, and nuts and fish and lean meats.

6. If you enjoy your profession, don't ever retire. Or if you retire, find a way to fill your day with meaningful work. Retirement is bad for your brain. Feeling needed and knowing you have a reason to get up each morning to meaningfully contribute to society matters. Knowing someone is counting on you to deliver matters. Stay involved. There is no reason you can't still be contributing in your 80s and 90s and beyond.

7. A lot of mental confusion in elderly adults is often actually a side-effect of all of their medicines interacting and causing havoc. Take responsibility for your medical records, and continue discussing what you are on, and whether you should drop any drugs. Many doctors are reticent to do this, since the status quo is easier to uphold than risking seeing how you fare without all of the medicines, but you are often overly medicated. Find a primary care physician you trust and build a relationship with them.

8. When it does come to aging, three questions to ask yourself will help guide decisions about where and how to live: Who will change the lightbulbs? (targets questions of care, cleaning, housework, cooking). What if I want to go out for ice cream? (targets questions of spontaneity, walkability of neighborhood, autonomy). Who will I have lunch with? (targets questions of social network, community fit, availability of social events and activities, friendship).

Reading this book made me realize that there is a lot more hope in aging and aging well than we usually talk about. And it did make me realize why, in part, my mother has done well: she is intellectually engaged, keeps trying new things, keeps learning new languages, is very physically active, and eats healthily. She isn't letting a number keep her from setting goals. She is, in other words, doing many of the things this book recommends. Now if only I could get here to drink more water. But that might be a battle I will never win. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2020 Mala Ashok rated it really liked it

I have read Daniel Levitin's "Organized Mind" and liked it very much. Thus I was eagerly looking forward to this book. I won't say it was a disappointment. However, it was not easy reading. Granted the subject was a difficult one but I found I had to read some sections over and over again before understanding them. The book has a good premise that Life is about Heath Span and not Life Span. The author explains how to live a life such that one can be as healthy as possible and this is a definite ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2020 Marlene Hayes rated it really liked it

An easy to read, interesting and encouraging book to read and learn from. I've put page markers in the chapters that offer reality checks on forgetfulness and ways of seeing aging as the best developmental stage of all! ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2020 Kristin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, own-it, mhs-to-read, health

It took me forever to finish this, but it was worth it. Leviton cites his sources and has thousands more studies and peer-reviewed papers on his website if you want to see them. Lots of great tips for aging with info on how your brain works.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2020 Nina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, science

A few things I've read before and a few things I haven't. I really appreciated all the research that went into this and the honesty in how reliable different studies are (usually not very). I find neuroscience to be incredibly fascinating so I did not mind at all the science-heavy, a bit dense reading. It did take me a while to get through, but I stuck with it because it was so interesting. Yes, a lot of the suggestions seem common sense, but clearly we still NEED to hear this stuff since most o ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2020 Robert Yokoyama rated it it was amazing

I want to age successfully, and that is why I read this book. I can increase the neuroplasticity in my brain by learning some new things. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt over time, I can increase neuroplasticity by learning to speak a new language. I grew up speaking Chinese, but I am hopeful that I can expand my vocabulary by taking lessons. I can also increase the neuroplasticity in my brain by performing in a theater. Learning how to memorize lines and movement ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 Deedi Brown (DeediReads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: next-big-idea-club

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:
Successful Aging is a scientific but well-written and interesting look at current thinking about how the brain works and how you can protect it as you age.

For you if: You are a curious person and don’t mind reading a lot of scientific info.

FULL REVIEW:
I got my hands on a copy of Successful Aging through the Next Big Idea Club. I wouldn’t normally reach for a book like this on my own, but I’m glad I read it! I was feeling especi ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2020 Sharon rated it really liked it

I think that the author did an excellent job in putting together all the pieces about ageing and how we can try to modify our life style however aspects of our older selves have already been pre-determined by our childhood! This is a long book and it is very science heavy, be warned!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 14, 2020 Patricia Aronoff rated it liked it · review of another edition

Book was more about how the brain works than aging.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 14, 2020 Patricia rated it liked it

I'm rounding this up from a 2.5 because I rushed through it before it disappeared. This book is OK but I'm not sure the author ever found the correct balance between presenting the science to support his arguments and trying to reach the every-day person.

I do think it was good to have several ideas on aging be reinforced with the background he offered. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2020 Justin rated it liked it

There wasn't much I disagreed with though that was because there was little actionable information and by the time I waded through the fluff I forgot most of it. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2020 Aaron Mikulsky rated it it was amazing

I read this book twice. This was a wonderful book filled with new science insights, philosophical, and practical tips on how to live a better, more fulfilling life. Here are some highlights:

COACH = Curiosity, Openness, Associations, Conscientiousness, Healthy practices.
“The ability to learn new things quickly reaches a peak in adolescence and the college years and declines after age 40.”
“There is no topic about which we have been more stupid than intelligence.”
There are great disagreements abou I read this book twice. This was a wonderful book filled with new science insights, philosophical, and practical tips on how to live a better, more fulfilling life. Here are some highlights:

COACH = Curiosity, Openness, Associations, Conscientiousness, Healthy practices.
“The ability to learn new things quickly reaches a peak in adolescence and the college years and declines after age 40.”
“There is no topic about which we have been more stupid than intelligence.”
There are great disagreements about what intelligence is and how to measure it.
I believe that intelligence is the ability to apply knowledge in novel ways, making links between new things; it predicts how well we are able to adapt to changing environments.
Fluid intelligence, which declines with age, is our ability to apply any information we have to new contexts (e.g. tumor/fortress/money laundering problems).
Practical intelligence increases with age, peaking after age 50 or 60.
Abstract thinking (e.g. Algebra) occurs in higher brain centers and gets better with age.
Wisdom (knowledge useful for dealing with life problems) follows from: associations, experience, pattern recognition, and the use of analogies. Life experience gives us more associations to make, more patterns to recognize. “Life challenges act as catalysts for the development of wisdom.” “Wisdom comes from combining motivational, emotional, and cognitive experiences, having successfully overcome challenges, and having had meaningful interactions with others.”
Harvard professor Howard Gardner, in his influential 1983 book, Frames of Mind, proposed his theory of multiple intelligences.
IQ = Intelligence Quotient (early 1900s psychometricians and cognitive psychologists thought intelligence was a single, unitary thing). About 25% of the difference is school performance across students is due to IQ test scores (75% is unexplained). Standardized IQ tests penalize creative thinking. “Thinking outside the box” (I.e. not imposing constraints on a problem) was popularized by Stanford’s James L. Adams in his book, Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas with the Nine Dot Puzzle, which traces its origins at least back to 1914.
EQ = Emotional Intelligent Quotient (Daniel Goleman). Emotions arise inside of us and profoundly affect our moods. Emotions are an acute state of affect and arousal lasting from seconds to minutes. Mood refers to a longer-term emotional tone. Emotions evolve because they motivate us. Like perception, emotions appear to be constructed out of bits and pieces of experience and inference, and the job of the brain is to tie disparate threads together and try to make sense of what’s happening around us and inside of us. Emotions are cognitive constructions that depend on circumstances and interpretation. Paul Ekman promotes there are 6 basic emotions that are cultural universals: fear, anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, and surprise. [Infants experience joy at 2 months, fear at 1 year, and anger at year 2.] Neurochemicals are your emotions. And there are more than 50 hormones and neurochemicals working within a system of chemical receptors, synapses, neuronal firing rates, brain architecture, and blood flow. Stress is an emotion, and its cause can be quite varied.[salmon, after swimming upstream to spawn, release a ton of glucocorticoids because of the stress, and die. They experience rapid aging because of the production of those stress hormones.] Homeostasis is the idea that the body seeks to maintain consistency. The idea of stability through change is called allostasis - systems fluctuating regularity in response to life’s demands. The same stress hormones that are essential for survival can have damaging effects on both physical and mental health if they are secreted over a longer period of time (called allostatic load). Social support is a strong predictor of allostatic load. Elevated cortisol levels in response to early life stress have been linked to accelerated hippocampal atrophy. Although some people develop resilience, grit, tenacity, and focus. Others fall apart. 15% of Americans suffer from depression (an illness with biological causes). Antidepressants only work 20% of the time. The way that we cope with setbacks and adversity is largely influenced by the combination of genes, culture, and environment. Excessive rumination increases stress hormones. The most effective strategy to stop the interference of rumination is positive distraction - immersing yourself in positive, forward-looking activities you enjoy (exercise, meditate - removing the “you” from your thoughts, spent time in nature, help others in need - practice egolessness).
CQ = Curiosity Quotient (predicts life success often better than IQ or EQ; Curiosity can be protective against aging. Growing intellectually is one of the secrets of successful aging. Psychologist Carol Dweck writes a lot about the power of having a growth mindset. Intrinsic motivation is always more powerful than extrinsic motivation.

Happiness is highly subjective, variable, and dependent on a number of factors, such as culture and expectations. It is relative, context dependent, and based on social comparison theory (the idea that you gauge your own happiness in comparison with what those around you are doing). Happy people seem not to think about happiness; they’re too busy doing things and being happy to stop and think about it. [Lottery winners tend not to be happy one year after the big win as they are besieged by people looking for money.]

Happiness is a personal perception, and it’s determinant differ vastly across cultures. Westerners tend to see happiness and misery as opposites, and life as a challenge to minimize the negative and accentuate the positive. Easterners tend to see happiness and misery as interrelated and mutually necessary (like yin and yang). According the The World Happiness Report, Americans have been falling in the world happiness rankings (In 2019: #19 out of 156 countries). The report looks at 6 variables: GDP, social support, health span, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption.

“Successful people tend to see life’s problems as challenges to be overcome.” People with a “can-do” attitude, a “bring it on” mentality - seeing events as a challenge and opportunity to learn - are happier.
Sigmund Freud proclaimed that, “The two most important things in life are to have love and meaningful work.”

The Dalai Lama says, “Compassion is the key to happiness. We are social species and our happiness is defined by our relationships with others.” He says, “You get the most benefit from making other people happy.”
Former Mexican president Vicente Fox said, “Being for others is the shortcut to happiness. Give as much as you can and you can get back more than you expected.” [This may be why President Fox left office with the highest approval rating of any president in Mexican history.] ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2020 Johnny Perspicacious insouciance rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book and it gave me lots of useful information and strategies to implement into my own life as I age. Three out of his four main cornerstones he writes about for successful aging I have read a lot about for many years and have already made them top priorities in my life.

Those three areas are diet, exercise and sleep. These three cornerstones to healthy living and aging are neglected by most people more than ever now. More and more people continue to become more obese, more I really enjoyed this book and it gave me lots of useful information and strategies to implement into my own life as I age. Three out of his four main cornerstones he writes about for successful aging I have read a lot about for many years and have already made them top priorities in my life.

Those three areas are diet, exercise and sleep. These three cornerstones to healthy living and aging are neglected by most people more than ever now. More and more people continue to become more obese, more sedentary and more sleep deprived than ever before. It’s common daily ritual now for hundreds of millions of humans to overeat several times per day, get absolutely no exercise and then stay up late into the night sitting on a sofa, watching television, eating junk.

Humans need daily rigorous exercise and to sweat profusely and increase heart rate with physical activities. You need omega 3 fatty acids from fatty fish, nuts, or seeds that are critical for developing and maintaining healthy brains and hearts. Sedentarism destroys your entire being, mind, body, mood, everything. Sleep deprivation is almost just as detrimental to every aspect of health and aging.

The fourth area for successful aging he writes about is one that I have always had trouble with, being autistic, which is maintaining a healthy and active social life and social relationships. Many studies have shown that loneliness and social deprivation is more deleterious to overall health and aging than being a lifetime smoker. There have been plenty of centenarians who were lifelong smokers. I’m not aware of any antisocial, loner autistic individuals who made it to 100 years old. The average life expectancy for autistics is 36-40 years old, which I am only a few years away from now.

Your mind and body quickly deteriorate without meaningful social interaction and interpersonal relationships, regardless of physical exercise and mental exercise. When my grandparents and mother eventually have to go and leave me behind, it will quickly become a very cold dark empty world for me until I am able to catch back up with them.

Autistic men do not fend well in the social world of humans. As is common with autistic men, pretty much all my interpersonal relationships are the ones I was born into: family. We do not fair well at developing or maintaining new ones for very long. Which leads to our small circle of relationships, fixed since birth, to die off one by one until we are all alone and quickly deteriorate.

Many people can’t accept “black pills” like these and prefer just world fallacies where if you just follow the right feel good empty platitudes that everything can and will work out rosy, fair, and justly in the end. The truth is our destinies, potentials, and possibilities are mostly predetermined by our genes. I don’t delude myself. I prepare myself for the Sisyphusian battle ahead, which is aging with autism. Which will mean, eventually, navigating a social world I can’t see or understand, most likely all alone. But I will continue to arm myself with information, insight, and knowledge from all the books I read and continue to enjoy them as I learn more along the way. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Nonfiction

111 users

Science

67 users

Health

54 users

Psychology

33 users

Biology > Neuroscience

21 users

Self Help

20 users

Audiobook

13 users

Self Help > Personal Development

9 users

Medical

8 users

Health > Mental Health

6 users

See top shelves…

About Daniel J. Levitin

Daniel J. Levitin

661 followers

Daniel J. Levitin runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University, where he holds the Bell Chair in the Psychology of Electronic Communication. Before becoming a neuroscientist, he worked as a session musician, sound engineer and record producer. He has written extensively both in scientific journals and music trade magazines such as Grammy and Billboard.

ht ...more

Books by Daniel J. Levitin

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age

Foundations of Cognitive Psychology: Core Readings

More…

News & Interviews

New African American Histories and Biographies to Read Now

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” So, this January, as we celebrate Martin Luther King...

Trivia About Successful Aging:...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Successful Aging:...

“Fending off Alzheimer’s, he says, involves five key components: a diet rich in vegetables and good fats, oxygenating the blood through moderate exercise, brain training exercises, good sleep hygiene, and a regimen of supplements individually tailored to each person’s own needs, based on blood and genetic testing.” — 1 likes

“An adjustable noise machine or even a hearing aid can be programmed to provide stimulation at the precise frequency of the tinnitus, thus giving those orphaned neurons some stimulation, which causes them to calm down and, voilà, the tinnitus disappears.” — 0 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Successful Aging by Daniel J. Levitin

Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Daniel J. Levitin

Books by Daniel J. Levitin

News & Interviews

Trivia About Successful Aging:...

Quotes from Successful Aging:...

See a Problem?

Preview — Successful Aging by Daniel J. Levitin

Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Daniel J. Levitin

Books by Daniel J. Levitin

News & Interviews

Trivia About Successful Aging:...

Quotes from Successful Aging:...

new topic
Discuss This Book