Better with Age The Psychology of Successful Aging

Age is an important number, but it can also be deceiving. After 40, most people say they feel younger than their years, some lie about their age, and many attempt to hide the signs of growing old.

Better with Age addresses the many myths and paradoxes about the aging process. Although most people think of their later years in terms of decline, they can be one of the best times in life. This book presents the latest scientific research about the psychology of aging, coupled with insights from those who have succeeded in doing it well, such as Maya Angelou, Bob Newhart, Jared Diamond, John Glenn, and John Wooden.

We are all aging, and many people are concerned about what to expect with advancing years. Retirement, happiness, and brain health are some of the many topics covered in this book. Better with Age shows what we can do now, at any stage in life, to make sure we enjoy old age.

Alan D. Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on how cognition changes with age and how people selectively remember important events. His work has been supported by the National Institute on Aging and has been featured in The New York Times and Time Magazine. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2004, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, and has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at UCLA since 2006. He lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and three children.

Prologue How I Got Interested in Successful Aging at a Young Age
Introduction The Benefits of Aging and the Psychology of Successful Aging
Chapter 1. What Is Successful Aging?
Chapter 2. Happiness: A Funny Thing Happens as We Get Older
Chapter 3. Memory: Our Memory Becomes More Selective with Age
Chapter 4. Wisdom: The Benefits of Experience and Creativity
Chapter 5. Staying Sharp: What Is an Active Lifestyle?
Chapter 6. Brain Training: Can Computer Games Make Me Smarter?
Chapter 7. Habits and Hobbies: Old and New Friends
Chapter 8. Retiring and Rewiring: The New
Chapter 9. It Gets Even Better with Age: Start Successful Aging Now
Closing Comments
Epilogue Are You Aging, or Is It Just Me?
Notes & References
Acknowledgements
Index