Successful Aging: Getting the Most Out of the Rest of Your Life

Author of the iconic bestsellers This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind , Daniel Levitin turns his keen insights to what happens in our brains as we age, why we should think about healthspan, not lifespan, and, based on a rigorous analysis of neuroscientific evidence, what you can do to make the most of your 70s, 80s, and 90s today no matter how old you are.

Successful Aging uses research from developmental neuroscience and individual differences in psychology to show that 60+ years is a unique developmental stage that, like infancy or adolescence, has its own demands and distinct advantages. Levitin takes a scientific approach to what we all can learn from those who age joyously, as well as how to adapt our culture to take full advantage of older people's wisdom and experience. Throughout his exploration of what aging really means, Levitin reveals resilience strategies and practical, cognitive enhancing tricks everyone should do as they age.

Packed with engaging interviews with successful, creative individuals far beyond the conventional age of "retirement," this book is very much about people with challenges readers will recognize. The book is full of accessible and discussable takeaways, which will provide great material for reading groups and media coverage.

Successful Aging will inspire a powerful new approach to how readers think about our final decades, and it will revolutionize the way we plan for old age as individuals, family members, and citizens within a society where the average life expectancy continues to rise.