As I’ve met people from all walks of life and helped them to live more satisfying lives, I’ve found that there have been two main reasons that people feel they are unhappy. First, they are unsatisfied with the environment they face. In other words, they consider themselves unhappy because they lack something. [ … ]
If you’re reading this, there’s a decent chance that you have a cognitively challenging task you’ve vowed to complete one day — whether it’s writing a novel or just finishing a crossword puzzle. Some of you might be halfway through completing it, but just can’t find the stamina to get it finished — so daily interruptions like [ … ]
When I looked at my father as he got older, I often felt sorry for him. He was quite healthy as late as his 80s, but past the age of 90, he slowed down significantly and his speech declined. When I touched his body with my hand, attempting to teach him some exercise, he would flatly refuse. All I could do for him [ … ]
It might surprise you, but on any given day, we will make over 200 decisions about our food — even decisions as simple as whether we will eat cereal instead of eggs for breakfast, but also the kind of cereal we will eat, the amount of milk we add to it (if we add any), and whether or not we finish [ … ]
Even though “Elaine Hamlin” (a pseudonym) had been retired from teaching for a number of years, she still maintained an active social and community life. She belonged to a book club, volunteered at the League of Women Voters and was a frequent dinner guest at the homes of her former colleagues. [ … ]
Many people start to look back on their past when they enter the second half of life. In particular, they become immersed in memories as they recall both good and hard times. But such passive retrospection isn’t enough. You must take time to do an interim accounting of your life, reflecting actively and intentionally on your past [ … ]
Scientists have been studying conformity since 1932, when Canadian anthropologist Diamond Jenness first began exploring the phenomenon. By 1951, psychologist Solomon Asch tested male college students and found that one-third of his sample would select an obviously wrong answer if their peer [ … ]
Many studies have shown the ways work can affect our mental and physical health — anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system, to name a few. The damage is compounded by the detrimental ways we deal with stress, such as overeating, binging on unhealthy foods, along with [ … ]
If the inability to recall where you put your keys, parked your car, or remember the name of someone you just met has you convinced you’re losing your mind, you’re not alone — or off the mark. As you get older, your brain loses mass as cells die out, and memory goes with them. [ … ]
Getting older is a fact of life, and one that we often may not want to accept. While we can maintain a healthy body with a good diet and physical exercise, it is also important to be able to relieve stress as you get older. As you age, your brain as well as your body goes through physical changes, which affect how it functions as [ … ]
At the beginning of the 20th century, the average American could expect to live just 47.3 years. Since then, life expectancy climbed rapidly—reaching 70 years for the first time in 1961. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we reached 78.9 years in 2014, and it seemed [ … ]
Artistic activity of all kinds — painting, music, writing, crafts, and hobbies — seems to benefit both society and its most senior citizens. It is no accident, I think, that ancient people relied upon their elders to be their “seers,” the visionaries whose final occupation it was to create order out of elemental chaos. [ … ]
Research has found that a personality trait called openness to experience — one of the “big five” personality traits, as psychology researchers call them — predicts longevity and is associated with better health and greater happiness. Openness encompasses such factors as [ … ]
As you grow older, have you noticed that there are some activities you can no longer perform? It may be because you’ve gotten shorter. As we age, we shrink. Starting around age 40, you typically lose about 0.4 inches every decade. Most of the height loss comes from gravity that continually compresses [ … ]
One of the most effective and simple brain exercises is something that we do naturally — walking. Although stepping forward by placing one foot in front of the other may seem ordinary, it’s actually a complex process that requires the harmonious coordination of all your joints, bones, muscles, and nerves. Normal walking [ … ]
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