The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life

For thousands of years men and women have risked their lives and spent their fortunes in a futile quest for eternal youth. In this groundbreaking book, world-renowned psychiatrist and researcher Gene D. Cohen takes us to the wellspring of genuine human vitality, the unique creative power generated by age and experience, and shows us how to tap this inner source to enrich, even transform our lives through middle age and beyond. A pioneering physician and respected international authority on aging and creativity, Dr. Cohen weaves history, scientific research, inspiring true-life stories, and his own fresh insights to journey into the previously uncharted territory of human potential in the "second half" of life.

The Creative Age

The over-thirty crowd was once subject to ridicule by younger people, and anyone past age fifty was definitely "over the hill." But in a single generation, the view of life after fifty has changed dramatically. Today society is shaped by unprecedented growth in the number of people over fifty, shifting patterns of opportunity and responsibility at work and at home, and advances in healthcare that offer the promise of longer and more active lives. In this fascinating, life-affirming book, Dr. Cohen debunks harmful myths about aging and illuminates the biological and emotional foundations of creative thought and expression. He offers compelling evidence that the unique combination of age, experience, and creativity can produce exciting inner growth and infinite potential for anyone.

The over-thirty crowd was once subject to ridicule by younger people, and anyone past age fifty was definitely "over the hill." But in a single generation, the view of life after fifty has changed dramatically. Today society is shaped by unprecedented growth in the number of people over fifty, shifting patterns of opportunity and responsibility at work and at home, and advances in healthcare that offer the promise of longer and more active lives. In this fascinating, life-affirming book, Dr. Cohen debunks harmful myths about aging and illuminates the biological and emotional foundations of creative thought and expression. He offers compelling evidence that the unique combination of age, experience, and creativity can produce exciting inner growth and infinite potential for anyone.

Gene D. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., is Director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University, where he holds the positions of Professor of Health Care Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry. He is founding director of the Washington, D.C., Center on Aging and past president of the Gerontological Society of America. He has appeared on Nightline, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, and the CBS Nightly News, and has appeared in a series of public service messages on aging with George Burns and Steve Allen. He invented an intergenerational board game (sort of a cross between chess and Scrabble) that was selected by an international art jury for a three-year museum tour.