As a graduate student in the 1970s, Vivian Clayton—a geriatric neuropsychologist in Orinda, California—began studying ancient and modern literature in an effort to quantify and define wisdom. Her study led her to think of wisdom as thoughtful behavior, usually involving social situations. She later refined this idea of wisdom to include behavior born of knowledge and instilled with thoughtfulness and compassion. Her early work has served as a foundation for subsequent research on the subject of wisdom.
