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Publisher : Penguin Publishing Group (7 January 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 528 pages
ISBN-10 : 1524744182
ISBN-13 : 978-1524744182
Dimensions : 15.85 x 4.29 x 23.62 cm
Product details
Publisher : Penguin Life; 1st edition (7 January 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 528 pages
ISBN-10 : 0241379393
ISBN-13 : 978-0241379394
Dimensions : 15.3 x 2.9 x 23.4 cm
The best-selling neuroscientist and author of The Organized Mind explains what happens to our brains from womb to tomb.
We have long been encouraged to think of old age as synonymous with deterioration. Yet, recent studies show that our decision-making skills improve as we age and our happiness levels peak in our eighties. What really happens to our brains as we get older?
More of us are living into our eighties than ever before. In The Changing Mind, neuroscientist, psychologist and internationally-bestselling author Daniel Levitin invites us to dramatically shift our understanding of growing older, demonstrating its many cognitive benefits. He draws on cutting-edge research to challenge common and flawed beliefs, including assumptions around memory loss and the focus on lifespan instead of 'healthspan'.
Levitin reveals the evolving power of the human brain from infancy to late adulthood. Distilling the findings from over 4000 papers, he explains the importance of personality traits, lifestyle, memory and community on ageing, offering actionable tips that we can all start now, at any age.
Featuring compelling insights from individuals who have thrived far beyond the conventional age of retirement, this book offers realistic guidelines and practical cognitive enhancing tricks for everyone to follow during every decade of their life. This is a radical exploration of what we all can learn from those who age joyously.
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 health span, not life span, and, based on a rigorous analysis of neuroscientific evidence, what you can do to make the most of your seventies, eighties, and nineties today no matter how old you are now.
Successful Aging uses research from developmental neuroscience and the psychology of individual differences to show that sixty-plus years is a unique developmental stage that, like infancy or adolescence, has its own demands and distinct advantages. Levitin looks at the science behind 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.
The book is packed with accessible and discussable takeaways, providing great material for reading groups and media coverage.
Successful Aging inspires 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.
From other countries
JEK
4.0 out of 5 stars This book reinforces many of the habits that my wife and I have adopted since retirement
Reviewed in Canada on 17 February 2020
I like the elements that agree with the steps we have taken. Of course it is not a recipe and can make no guarantees. Many of us lack skills or energy that the author seems to take for granted. Will I take up all the activities -- probably not, but I do appreciate that life-long learning is a good approach. My wife has a lot more expertise on socio-medical aspects of neurology as well as experience in gerontology and she recommends it as well. Our parents would have benefitted from this advice to live longer and happier lives -- but they were too stubborn to ever change. And that is the downfall of a book like this. Don't read it without an open mind.
5 people found this helpful
Jehad Abu-Ulbeh
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in Canada on 28 May 2021
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Loads of info, some I didn't understand. Great reference book that I hope to go to once in awhile. Some pages I had to skip as it was too scientific for me. The book lifted my spirits as it gave me hope, but felt the reality of aging that scared me. I highly recommend this book.
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Lynne
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
Reviewed in Canada on 19 May 2020
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It was an interesting book. Very detailed research to back up any assertions. Sometimes too much detail to wade through. In the end, the list of ways to successfully age is a good, do-able list.
3 people found this helpful
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Andreas74
5.0 out of 5 stars a splendid psychology book
Reviewed in Germany on 12 December 2020
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It is about aging, but the whole psychology is in that book. if you're expecting something short, you should read something else. if you don't mind being introduced in all parts of psychology, the book is great.
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Tom Beakbane
5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive elegant writing about an important matter
Reviewed in Canada on 11 December 2020
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Unfortunately I am at an age where this book is important to read... a few decades age.
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Johanne Cournoyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book about aging.
Reviewed in Canada on 13 May 2020
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Love this book. Was delivered really fast.
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JOSE VICENTE
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting un pragmatic
Reviewed in Germany on 11 October 2020
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If you are interested in you and you aging the book is a must :)
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Mathias
5.0 out of 5 stars longivity
Reviewed in Germany on 1 February 2021
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has been giving the tools i need to watch my healthy aging
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Robert G Yokoyama
5.0 out of 5 stars I learned a lot of tips about how to age successfully.
Reviewed in the United States on 18 January 2020
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I want to age successfully, and that is why I read this book. I can increase the neuroplasticity in my brain by learning some new things. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt over time, I can increase neuroplasticity by learning to speak a new language. I grew up speaking Chinese, but I am hopeful that I can expand my vocabulary by taking lessons. I can also increase the neuroplasticity in my brain by performing in a theater. Learning how to memorize lines and movements can make the neural connections in my brain strong. I am proud of the fact that I have been working for over twenty years, and I am glad that the author says meaningful work is critical to longevity too. I will continue working, but I have been involved in pedestrian safety for people in wheelchair like myself. This secondary job sharpens my spatial, writing and speaking skills. This also increases the neuroplasticity in my brain and keeps me young.
I learned that high blood pressure can lead to hearing loss because the hair cells in my ear can stiffen. This piece of news is a wake up call for me because my blood pressure is slightly elevated. I will strive to keep walking and exercising to keep my blood pressure in check though. I learned that exercise can improve my memory and creativity, so I have more incentive to exercise now.
I like the information about friends in this book. Having a social network of friends improve my mood and keep my brain healthy. I have friends, but I don't see them that often. I am hopeful that I can make new friends to listen to music with and hang out with in person.
I struggle to get a quality night of sleep, but I will follow Levitin's advice and make my room as dark as possible. The author also advises writing in journal to relax, so I will try this. I will strive to get out more to visit park and beaches. This activity will sharpen my senses and keep me young. This is such an insightful book.
129 people found this helpful
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LVZee
3.0 out of 5 stars Buried Nuggets in a Verbal Dumpheap-Might Make You Think
Reviewed in the United States on 19 March 2020
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Like most authors of this type of advisory books, he tends to find studies that support what he does in his personal life. For example:
• He recommends early, big breakfasts, when there is many studies find the opposite
• He doesn’t approve of naps, especially siesta style 90 minutes after lunch
• He doesn’t rate vegetarian diets or active supplementation with vitamins or other nutrients very highly, but favors hormone treatments.
• He doesn’t think brain training sites (Lumosity or BrainHQ) accomplish much
One interesting concept that all these authors miss is that many, perhaps most studies can be debunked because controls weren’t properly chosen, there were problems with statistical methodology and self-interest in reaching certain conclusions or results. This absolutely does not mean that results are wrong, only that they haven’t been definitively proved.
He also merges readily available things one can do (like following the Mediterranean Diet, meditation, exercising or learning a new skill) with technologies that aren’t easily available, and some that are closer to science fiction than reality (brain implants to increase memory or intelligence.)
I am also puzzled why certain obvious questions aren’t asked by either the authors or the researchers. Looking at sleep: They recommend sleeping in a cool room, presumably with pajamas and a heavy quilt, but don’t discuss sleeping nude with little or no cover in a warm room. They don’t study regular nappers who sleep 6 hours (4 cycles) at night and 1.5 hours (1 cycle) in the afternoon vs. 7.5 hours at night and no nap. I frequently read that blue light before sleep is bad and room should be ‘totally dark.’ Didn’t humans evolve sleeping with some ambient like from the moon and stars, even before fire became common?
However, buried in the book are nuggets of very useful recommendations or information that isn’t common in the popular literature. For example, he recommends an additional ‘dementia proxy,’ which is very different than the standard health proxies that are commonly recommended.
51 people found this helpful
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Ethyl
1.0 out of 5 stars Don’t waste your money!
Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2020
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This book is beyond stupid and definitely NOT worth $16.50!
Another example of why it is important to read a sample before buying the book!
55 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, solid, practical, intelligent book on aging.
Reviewed in the United States on 26 February 2020
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As a 66 year old "retired" lawyer and CEO, I struggled in ways I never imagined when I "retired" at sixty. I have read multiple books on aging and am thoughtful and intrigued to try to find a way to live the rest of my life healthily, meaningfully, and happily. This book is the real deal. Smart author that I never read before. Book is based on science and data (400 footnotes!), but this guy writes smoothly and thoughtfully. The book is 400 solid pages but it is so well written that it is easy to read a bit at a time. I did not want it to end. This book is awesome.
48 people found this helpful
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PositiveMojo
1.0 out of 5 stars Long winded
Reviewed in the United States on 24 February 2020
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I wish the author would have gotten to the point. I expected to learn about things I could proactively do with regard to “successful aging”, the title of the book. Instead, the author goes into a deep dive and lecture on the different aspects of the brain and memory. A good editor should have kept the narrative on topic.
40 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Over rated
Reviewed in the United States on 17 February 2020
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Very disappointing,the content on the title subject is minimal;far too much fluff,had he kept to point,the 400 pages could be condensed to 40 pages;also nothing new here,and you have to plow through so much to get to the important points.
42 people found this helpful
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Lance B. Hillsinger
5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than then first book
Reviewed in the United States on 9 October 2020
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Successful Aging by neuroscientist Daniel Levitin is much better than his first book, Your Brain on Music. This reviewer gave Your Brain on Music a modest three-star rating. Successful Aging deserves five stars.
While the two books are superficially similar, Successful Aging draws on the latest research. Your Brain on Music came out in 2006. Successful Aging is also simply better written than Your Brain on Music.
Citing numerous scientific articles across multiple disciplines, Levitin expounds on simple concepts, like diet, exercise, genetic factors, etc., which can affect the quality of life as one ages. However, there is no “dumbing down” of concepts. In many places, Successful Aging reads like a good college textbook.
Levitin does offer practical advice on how to age well, but this advice is grounded in the latest scientific research. Moreover, Levitin also offers hope that one can lead a meaningful and productive life, even as one’s body is in the last laps of life. While Levitin offers hope, he is also pragmatic about the physical and emotional impact of aging, particularly for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
5 people found this helpful
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Valerie Goodman
5.0 out of 5 stars Your Brain On Age
Reviewed in the United States on 23 August 2020
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Wonderful book loaded with health information younger eyes should read. I found answers why and how my husband and my own thinking are changing as we approach our sixth decade. The science, anatomical, chemical and time changes accumulated in life is explained with an energy to age with courage, love and laughter. Will keep for future reference!
5 people found this helpful
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Anthony L. Poselenzny
1.0 out of 5 stars A poorly researched book
Reviewed in the United States on 21 March 2020
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There is so much information available today regarding good health and longevity with regard to the appropriate diet that this author has completely missed. Most of his book is full of stories and personal experiences with references to science but with no actual hard science behind it. It’s a waste of time.
5 people found this helpful
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Karrie
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on 22 January 2020
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Very informative well written.
8 people found this helpful
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FrankP
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book from Levitin
Reviewed in the United States on 1 April 2020
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Daniel Levitin is a neuroscientist that has written several books on how the brain works. The books are highly educational and are written in an easy-to-read style with occasional humor thrown in. This most recent book discusses how the brain changes as we mature and grow older, and what we can do to extend a healthy lifespan so we don't spend our last years living with debilitating illnesses. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Keith G. Bernard
3.0 out of 5 stars Serious flaws
Reviewed in the United States on 16 May 2020
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Way too much self-serving name-dropping and aimless wandering. There was some useful information but much of it was repeated more than once. Desperately needed some serious editing. Was it edited at all?
4 people found this helpful
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Stephen V. Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on 10 February 2020
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Chipping away at this book a few pages at a time. Discovering lots of good information.
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Aging happens
Reviewed in the United States on 30 January 2021
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An excellent book about the scientific aspects of aging and how to live well understanding the aspects of getting older. A book club talk with different generations provided insight as we as elders were able to share our wisdom. I learned a lot about what I am living.
One person found this helpful
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Kayomack
3.0 out of 5 stars Turgid, Slogans?
Reviewed in the United States on 27 June 2020
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I'm still plowing through Successful Aging, and the writing does not fill me with confidence, too academic, a blend of theories and facts from different medical specialties, makes me wonder if Daniel Levitin is mainly interested in making bucks from the increasing ranks of the elderly.
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Veric
3.0 out of 5 stars Get the cliff notes?
Reviewed in the United States on 5 May 2021
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I understand perfectly why there's now a summary version of this book by another author. I skip LARGE sections of successful aging. If one has read about recent developments in human health, one will sometimes skip two thirds of a chapter in order to tease out the applications to aging.
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this one
5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable.
Reviewed in the United States on 7 April 2020
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Very readable. I first ordered on kindle but decided on wanted a hard copy for reference and highlighting so I will both. I will use it to enhance my knowledge working with older people and better understanding myself as well.
One person found this helpful
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marla fowler
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME
Reviewed in the United States on 23 June 2020
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So much information... Excellently presented. Good guidelines to follow as our age creeps up there. I recommend this for any age.
One person found this helpful
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Dr. Harvey P. Simon
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on 1 April 2020
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Doesn’t really give you any real life experience. Only scientific facts. STATISTICS EH
3 people found this helpful
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Daphne Simpkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for People Interested in Aging Concerns
Reviewed in the United States on 19 February 2021
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I bought this book on Kindle and then bought it again in paperback so I could underline it the second time I read it. The book is worth your time and helps you to think about aging concerns.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars What to expect!
Reviewed in the United States on 7 June 2020
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I found this book very interesting and educational.Alot I didn't know about ageing and a lot I didn't want to except!But had heard for years.Reading this made some of it easier to deal with.
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bluemookey
2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected.
Reviewed in the United States on 15 July 2020
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This book reads like a self help book, not hard science. There are a million books like it out there, no new information.
2 people found this helpful
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Popular Answered Questions
Is this the same content as is provided in "The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Ageing Well"? Has the name just been changed for some countries? It seems odd that two such similar books by the same author are being released at the same time.
1 Like · Like One Year Ago Add Your Answer
Deedi Brown (DeediReads) Yes, from the other editions listed above it appears to be the same book.
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS
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Scott Wozniak
Jan 28, 2020Scott Wozniak rated it it was amazing
This is the best book on aging I've read yet. It covers everything from the social and emotional issues of aging to the neuroscience and even diet and supplements. The author does a great job giving you real science in a way that doesn't feel overcomplicated.
Some of this confirmed things I've read before:
-Your friendships matter tremendously and you have to keep investing in relationships or they will naturally fade as you and your friends age.
-When designing your final chapters of life, think about the people you want to be with more than the places you want to be/things you want to do.
-Don't retire from meaningful work. You can slow down or do a different activity, but to stop doing things that matter is to invite decline and despair.
-Much of the physical decline we say is aging is really just decades of being out of shape. Stay active and push yourself. You might be surprised at what you can do (and how many aches and pains go away when you're back in shape.)
-Sleep is the most important health factor--and it's harder to sleep well when you're old. That doesn't mean give up. It means get more diligent to protect your sleep quality and quantity.
And there were some things that busted a lot of the myths I've read:
-We still don't don't what diets are best. Nutrition is so hard to pin down (hard to isolate it from other factors and it's so different person to person). So most of the supplements we are told to take have no scientific evidence to support them. This includes popular things like Omega 3 fatty acids (we need them, but so far taking pills doesn't actually show any improvements in our blood stream) and popular diets who remove whole categories of food (from vegetarian to Atkins). The key is variety of food types (except processed/fried foods, of course) and limits on the quantity.
-We still don't know how to avoid Alzheimer's and dementia.
-All the studies of communities of people who live 100+ are massively scientifically flawed. They've been discussed and dismissed by all the scientists in the field. They're anecdotal stories by non-scientists. There are just too few people and the variables are so complex that there's no real patterns that hold up under scrutiny. So beware of them.
-Your genes account for only 7% of your longevity (except for those cases when you have a congenital disease, such as a faulty heart valve). It's mostly how you live.
A few bonus ideas:
-We focus a lot on the diseases that keep us from dying (cancer, heart attack, etc.). But we don't put much attention or effort on the diseases that ruin our life enjoyment (diabetes, back injury, etc.). Don't just try not to do. Plan for a life that allows for pain-free mobility.
-Purpose trumps all else. Have a plan for how you can keep learning and make a difference in the world. (less)
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Clif Hostetler
Feb 08, 2020Clif Hostetler rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: health-and-selfhelp
This book combines knowledge from (1) developmental neuroscience and (2) individual differences (personality) psychology to help the reader understand the aging brain and the choices that can be made to maximize the chances of living long, happy, and productive lives. In the book's Introduction the author, Daniel J Levitin, claims that no other book intended for a popular audience has been written that covers the intersection of these two scientific fields.
The book is divided into three parts, (1) The Continually Developing Brain, (2) The Choices We Make, and (3) The New Longevity. Part One focuses on the ability of both the brain and personality to experience change, both good and bad. Part Two explores the ways the choices made made by individuals can influence health. Part Three explores new drugs and technology that have potential for prolonging health span portion of the life span.
This is a long book that seems to go on forever. There are overlapping subjects in the three parts so some material is referenced more than once. It’s written in a conversational tone with occasion mention of curious serendipitous phenomena, which are probably not appreciated by academic readers because I suspect they’re not all verified facts.
Aging has its down side—brain cell atrophy, DNA sequence damage, compromised cellular repair functions, and neurochemical and hormonal changes. But it’s not all bad. Among the chemical changes in the aging brain are a tendency toward understanding, forgiveness, tolerance, and acceptance. As indicated in the following excerpt, the older years are often experienced as the happiest.
When older people look back on their lives and are asked to pinpoint the age at which they were happiest, what do you suppose they say? Maybe age eight, when they had few cares? Maybe their teenage years because of all the activity and the discovery of sex? Maybe their college years, or the first years of starting a family? Wrong. The age that comes up most often as the happiest time of one’s life is eighty-two! The goal of this book is to help raise that number by ten or twenty years. Science says it can be done. And I’m with science.
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Lou
Feb 28, 2020Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
There are many books on the market that aim to document how to grow old in a healthy and life-affirming manner, however, this is one of the few written and comprehensively researched by a respected expert in the clinical area of neuroscience. The facts and statistics mentioned throughout are proven and so can be relied upon as methods to implement to try to ensure you live a long and happy life. The Changing Mind is a thought-provoking and eye-opening account of what happens to our brain during the ageing process and it turns on its head some of the misconceptions we all appear to have been told about how deterioration, as we age, is inevitable when this is quite far from the reality of the situation. Dr Levitin hits you with inspiring and optimistic information and I feel there are so, so many people who would gain new knowledge and reinvigoration from what they read between these pages, just as I did.
I know one of the most prominent brain diseases of our time, Alzheimer's, is one of the biggest fears many people face when ruminating on cognition and how to keep the memories we have so beautifully collected alive, therefore I am pleased there are plenty of tips to keep the mind sharp and everything intact in this book. That being said, we all roll the dice on such matters and at the end of the day you may be lucky or you may not. Levitin charts the brains development from birth right through to elder years and unlike other nonfiction titles of this nature, I found this both eminently readable and absolutely fascinating. The case studies used to illustrate points made throughout the book were all interesting and if I’m honest I could’ve read another couple of hundred pages.
If you are looking for an easy, non-challenging read then this probably isn’t it but if you genuinely want to learn more about ageing and what we can do to age well this is a must-read. Many thanks to Penguin Life for an ARC. (less)
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Natalie Fincher
Oct 22, 2019Natalie Fincher rated it really liked it
Shelves: stopped-reading
I'm too dumb for this. (less)
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혜정
Jan 06, 2020혜정 marked it as to-read
Iam seventy one years old woman. But I'd like to read new novels and listen to good music so that
I want to live by my self. When I have retired from professor five years ago I had depressed losted my punctual work. In my country many people thought as an unavailable person from retired their work. I have a complaint these conception. So I start to study regular lesson at open college and I always want to know how do I live my more older age.
I hope to meet and practice my life through Successful aging. I'm going to decide to read this book. Thank you (less)
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Julius Adams
Jan 13, 2020Julius Adams rated it it was ok
A lot of science to get to the same results people have known for a long time. Cicero said it all in his treatise in OLD AGE, summarized below. Same findings, just without the science. So what is new here? Don’t waste your money....
Below is a link to an excellent summary written by Dr. John Messerly on his web site, where you can read his entire commentary concerning Ciceros treatise. Thank you to him, it proves this book is not new or necessary in its philosophical thinking.
https://reasonandmeaning.com/2017/08/...
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Taylor Ahlstrom
Feb 19, 2020Taylor Ahlstrom rated it really liked it
Daniel Levitin’s Successful Aging is a relatable and expertly written guide to the scientific, social, and emotional process of aging, buoyed by the latest research into what we can do to increase not just our lifespan, but our healthspan—those years when we are still living healthy, active lives, not plagued by chronic pain and disease or tubed up in a hospital bed. As a neurologist, the book is heavily scientific, but Levitin does a commendable job of making complicated neural behaviors make sense to the layman. In addition to the science, the book is filled with stories of people he knows and those he interviewed who have stayed active, sharp, and remained in their careers well into their nineties.
His point with these anecdotes is that we need to rethink aging and the elderly along with what we believe is possible after retirement. There is an undeniable stigma against the elderly in America that they are mostly useless and therefore oft forgotten. As to retirement, Levitin thinks we should get rid of it altogether. One of the main causes of cognitive decline in the elderly is not exercising those thinking muscles enough. As work also gives our lives meaning, there has been an increase in those who “unretire,” or rejoin the workforce after retirement. In addition to providing that meaning, work also keeps us active and social. Loneliness and inactivity are two significant causes of cognitive decline in the elderly. Loneliness is so serious a risk that Britain recently appointed a Minister of Loneliness just to address this problem in their increasingly-aged population.
Much of the book—in between all the science—is written from the personal perspective of Levitin, who is now sixty-two years old and is perhaps just beginning to feel many of the effects of aging that his book dives into in some detail. Whether it’s just forgetting why he walked into the kitchen, or that bum knee that will never be the same again, the reader feels a personal connection to the author and his work. Also, as a professional musician, many of his stories relate to music and his performance, which adds an extra touch of personality to a book written by a neuroscientist that had the potential to be both dry and overly technical. Luckily, his book is neither of those things.
One aspect of the book which deserves significant praise is the rigor with which Levitin investigates every possible claim or cure for aging. He informs the reader not only why certain medications work, but why others don’t, and is candid when modern medicine “simply doesn’t know why”—which is often the case when it comes to aging. The book contains over seventy-five pages of notes and resources, and the author claims to have reviewed around four thousand peer-reviewed papers to complete it. When a dietary or health claim mentions a paper or study with a low number of participants or one that was not peer-reviewed, he is quick to point that out.
While some may find the science in the book unnecessarily technical or overbearing, many may find it a helpful backdrop to understand the why behind the advice. Sure, there isn’t a lot of groundbreaking advice here when everyone knows they should eat more vegetables and get better sleep. But understanding how social interaction keeps our brains functioning at a higher level and why a walk in the woods does far more benefit than a walk on a treadmill may help more Americans embrace the suggestions he offers. He doesn’t shame or discount the medicinal benefits of many modern treatments, but he also notes their side effects and shortcomings, and it seems after every potential medication he mentions, the holistic answer is rather the better answer. You may be able to take a pill to feel happier, or you could talk to a friend and work on your coping mechanisms. The brain is an incredibly adaptable organ, and the more we train it, the more it can do for us.
While we may have figured out how certain drugs work in certain ways in the brain, there is still a lot we don’t know. At one point he refers to this as “looking for your keys under the streetlamp because it has the most light.” We are forced to experiment with the things we know the most about, because the other stuff just doesn’t make any sense yet. For every drug you put in your body, there are dozens or hundreds of interactions with every other system in your body, and each of those interactions are different for each and every person. Because of this, we can’t ever say one pill can cure this or that, but only that more people felt better than didn’t. In fact, for a treatment to gain FDA approval, it has to perform only 10 points better than a placebo—which is no treatment at all!
Ultimately, the point is that our bodies are miraculous things, and the only treatments we have found that work for everyone are the simplest ones: more love, more companionship, more meaning in life, more exercise—both mental and physical—and of course, eating more plants. These give you the best chance for extending your healthy years on earth. And most of the other medication that’s out there might help manage some of the aches and pains that inevitably come along the way.
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Roxanne
Dec 20, 2019Roxanne rated it it was amazing
I thought this was a heavy book about how to age well. It is pretty scientific but it has good information.
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Ruth Kamau
Feb 04, 2020Ruth Kamau rated it liked it
This book is long, filled with technical terms, and in the end... it does nothing to fulfill the promise given by the title.
It goes on and on about roles of hormones, what doesn’t work, experiments gone wrong, and then provides the most cliche advise about how to be happy in old age.
Coulda just started with that and saved us the repetitive ways of explaining Alzheimer’s and dementia.
All in all, some may appreciate this.
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Terri
Feb 03, 2020Terri rated it liked it
This book sounded interesting but it was way too detailed for me to enjoy. Felt more like a textbook. I’d recommend cliff notes for this one.
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Donna
Feb 25, 2021Donna rated it really liked it
Shelves: health, non-fiction
This is Non Fiction Science mostly about brain health. The author was heavy on the medical jargon and lingo that I guess Neuroscientists use, but the author did his own audio narration and he did a great job relaying the info in a way that didn't make me feel like I was completely in the weeds. For that, I recommend the audio to anyone one who wants to give this book a shot.
When I finished this, there were no boxes to check off. No list to gird your loins with before heading off to the health food store. Instead he uses a lot of studies to illustrate his points on health span.
Now some of these studies are old and they have been used quite prolifically in other health & science books. But what I liked was that he often gave us both sides of the coin. I appreciated that the most. He also pointed fingers but it such a nice way. Also, while this book didn't change my life, it definitely gave me food for thought. So 4 stars for that and the fact that if the author ever wanted to dip into another occupational field, he could easily narrate books. (less)
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Johnny Andrade
Nov 22, 2020Johnny Andrade rated it it was amazing
I really enjoyed this book and it gave me lots of useful information and strategies to implement into my own life as I age. Three out of his four main cornerstones he writes about for successful aging I have read a lot about for many years and have already made them top priorities in my life.
Those three areas are diet, exercise and sleep. These three cornerstones to healthy living and aging are neglected by most people more than ever now. More and more people continue to become more obese, more sedentary and more sleep deprived than ever before. It’s common daily ritual now for hundreds of millions of humans to overeat several times per day, get absolutely no exercise and then stay up late into the night sitting on a sofa, watching television, eating junk.
Humans need daily rigorous exercise and to sweat profusely and increase heart rate with physical activities. You need omega 3 fatty acids from fatty fish, nuts, or seeds that are critical for developing and maintaining healthy brains and hearts. Sedentarism destroys your entire being, mind, body, mood, everything. Sleep deprivation is almost just as detrimental to every aspect of health and aging.
The fourth area for successful aging he writes about is one that I have always had trouble with, being autistic, which is maintaining a healthy and active social life and social relationships. Many studies have shown that loneliness and social deprivation is more deleterious to overall health and aging than being a lifetime smoker. There have been plenty of centenarians who were lifelong smokers. I’m not aware of any antisocial, loner autistic individuals who made it to 100 years old. The average life expectancy for autistics is 36-40 years old, which I am only a few years away from now.
Your mind and body quickly deteriorate without meaningful social interaction and interpersonal relationships, regardless of physical exercise and mental exercise. When my grandparents and mother eventually have to go and leave me behind, it will quickly become a very cold dark empty world for me until I am able to catch back up to them.
Autistic men do not fair well in the social world of humans. As is common With autistic men, pretty much all my lasting interpersonal relationships are the ones I was born into: family, grandparents, parents. We do not fair well at developing or maintaining any kind of interpersonal relationships for very long if at all. Which leads to our small circle of relationships, fixed since birth, to die off one by one around us until we are all alone and quickly deteriorate in social world we are blind to.
Many people can’t accept the depressive realist “black pills” like these and prefer positive illusions and just world fallacies where if you just simply follow the right feel good empty platitudes that everything can and will work out rosy, fair, justly and happily in the end. The truth is that much of our destinies, potentials and possibilities are predetermined by our genes (plus environment). I don’t delude myself with positive illusions. I’m preparing myself for the futile, Sisyphian battle ahead, which is aging with autism. Which will mean, eventually, attempting to navigate a social world I cannot see or understand, all alone.
It is truly horrific predicament to be an autistic adult man. To be an autistic human is to be a social animal that is socially disabled. It is akin to being a schooling fish that cannot swim. It is also not always a very visible disability as well. And having no intellectual disabilities and being socially handicap people often assume you are just lazy, rude, mean, unmotivated etc. Nobody will blame or ridicule the disabled individual in a wheelchair for not being able to use the stairs. But most people will blame, dislike, discriminate the autistic individual who can’t properly function socially. (less)
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Dave Mills
Feb 03, 2020Dave Mills rated it did not like it
True confession: I really didn't finish this book. In fact, I only made it to page 67. Wanna know why? Of course you don't, but I'll tell you nevertheless.
Skip 400 pages of shit, go to page 401 (hardcopy edition) and read "APPENDIX REJUVENATING YOUR BRAIN." That'll give you an idea of just how bad this book is.
Alas, in my "declining," addled old age, I tend to fall for books that might give me the magic elixir, the location of the fountain of youth, the Philosopher's Stone, potions, diets, chemicals, brain games, and other gimmicks that (the books usually claim) will increase my longevity and improve my downhill years. None of them will, of course.
They're all crap, really.
Here's a better idea: read Barbara Ehrenreich's "Natural Causes." She's a great writer, funny, clever, bright, witty. And her chapter 10, "Successful Aging,"of nineteen pages is infinitely better than the 400 pages of Levitin's junk.
Enjoy these last years. Carpe diem! (less)
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Kristin
Feb 28, 2020Kristin rated it did not like it
I only got 54 pages in and screw this book. Far too technical and I can’t stand the tangents made in the book that are irrelevant. No one cares about you learning to drive clutch in San Fran when you’re discussing procedural memory. Had some interesting points that makes me wish this book just kept the interesting stuff and therefore shortened into a 150 page book. As another reviewer said, just flip to page 401 and read the appendix.
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Julie
Aug 23, 2020Julie rated it it was ok
I felt like the book mostly dealt with research on drugs to reduce effects of aging. I wanted to hear more about what I can do personally. There was some of that, and those were the parts I enjoyed. What I found most interesting is the effect moderate or even slow walking can have on the cognitive processes of the brain. In other words, keep moving.
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Yumiko Hansen
Jun 07, 2021Yumiko Hansen rated it really liked it
4 stars
I read this book with a great enthusiasm. I have read multiple books on aging and am thoughtful and intrigued to try to find a way to live the rest of my life healthily, meaningfully, and happily. My main interest is “Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.“
Dr. Levitin offers practical advice on how to age well, he also offers hope that one can lead a meaningful and productive life, even as one’s body is in the last laps of life.
The book is entertaining, a quick read, and quite informative about numerous important topics related to looking at aging in a positive light.
—— “The only thing you know for sure is the present tense.
That nowness becomes so vivid to me now, that in a perverse sort of way, I’m almost serene, I can celebrate life. Below my window, for example, the blossom is out in full. It’s a plum tree. It looks like apple blossom, but it’s white. And instead of saying, “Oh, that’s a nice blossom,” looking at it through the window when I’m writing, it is the whitest, frothiest, blossomiest blossom that there ever could be.
Things are both more trivial than they ever were, and more important than they ever were, and the difference between the trivial and the important doesn’t seem to matter—but the nowness of everything is absolutely wondrous.
And if people could see that—there’s no way of telling you, you have to experience it—the glory of it, if you like, the comfort of it, the reassurance. . . . Not that I’m interested in reassuring people, you know. The fact is that if you see the present tense, boy, do you see it, and boy, can you celebrate it!”
... Yes, in the end, in the battle to hang on to life, nature always wins.
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Valerie
Aug 22, 2020Valerie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Your Brain On Age
Wonderful book loaded with health information younger eyes should read. I found answers why and how my husband and my own thinking are changing as we approach our sixth decade. The science, anatomical, chemical and time changes accumulated in life is explained with an energy to age with courage, love and laughter. Will keep for future reference!
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