The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Ageing Well

by Daniel J. Levitin

At the same time, they are comfortable with the idea that they may die soon. That’s not the same as saying they want to die, but they no longer fear it. They’ve lived full lives and treat each new day as an opportunity for new experiences.

You can choose not to be stressy—or learn how—and this can save your life. The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is an endocrine system that controls the secretion of stress hormones (glucocorticoids) including cortisol. Exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids can be particularly detrimental for the aging hippocampus and is associated with decrements in learning and memory.61 Among the things that psychotherapy is best at, stress reduction is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health.

From a neurocognitive standpoint, wisdom is the ability to see patterns where others don’t see them, to extract generalized common points from prior experience and use those to make predictions about what is likely to happen next.

numbers, and poems in foreign languages he didn’t even speak. Before you think that having such a fantastic memory would be great, it came with a cost: Solomon wasn’t able to form abstractions because he remembered every detail as distinct.

Fluid intelligence is your ability to apply any information you have (whether it’s extensive or not) to new contexts. It is your innate ability to reason, to think, to identify patterns, and to solve problems. We’ve all known people who have a remarkable retention for what they’ve learned, and can learn quickly, but lack the ability to apply that information—they would be high in crystallized but low in fluid intelligence. Some people with photographic memories are like that.

One of the most important findings about coping styles in depression was made by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, who distinguished rumination from distraction and found that distraction was far more effective than rumination in coping with bad fortune, and that rumination was associated with significantly longer periods of depressed mood.

Government research in the UK found that two hundred thousand older adults had not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month.7 Clearly that kind of extreme social isolation can lead to loneliness.

A sense of control is a basic necessity of psychological life. Individuals who perceive that they lack control over their environments may seek to gain control in any way possible, potentially acting out, breaking the law, lashing out at loved ones, or developing eating disorders.

They began by quoting H. L. Mencken: “For every complex problem, there is a simple solution, and it is wrong.”

A bigger predictor than cholesterol level at age fifty for health at age eighty is the quality of your relationships.

Too much time spent with no purpose is associated with unhappiness.30 Stay busy! Not with busywork or trivial pursuits, but with meaningful activities.

In 2018, eighty-four-year-old Gloria Steinem was asked, “Who are you passing the torch to?”80 “Nobody,” she said, laughing. “I’m holding on to my torch. I’ll let other people light theirs from mine.” Hold on to your torch. Do not go gently. And don’t forget to laugh. Whatever’s going on around you, remember to laugh. Appendix Rejuvenating your Brain Don’t retire.