Can life get better as we age? Daniel Levitin’s new book may have the answer

Is age all in our heads? Can life continue to get better and more rewarding as we grow older? Mairi Hughes finds out.

WHEN you look back on your life, can you pinpoint an age at which you felt you were in your prime?

You might be surprised to discover that many people feel they reached the prime of their life in their eighties.

Daniel Levitin’s latest book, “The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Guide to Ageing Well”, states that the age which came up most frequently when people were asked when they were happiest was eighty-two.

The book explores the neuroscience of how we can make the most of our later years.

“I’ve come to see old age as a unique period of growth,” Daniel says, “a life stage with its own distinct character, rather than a period of decline or a gradual turning down of the dials and knobs one by one.”

The book carries the message that, as a society, we are currently failing to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and wisdom honed by the older generation, and we should be viewing the elderly as a resource.

Busting the myth that old age is a time of decline, Daniel discusses why and how we should embrace later life as a season of opportunity. Here are just some of the reasons why we should enjoy this time of life, and how we can make the most of it . . .

Your physical health has an impact on the state of your mind as you age.

Some of the most effective steps we can take to prevent cognitive decline are eating a diet of vegetables and good fats, staying physically active and taking dietary supplements tailored to our own individual needs.

A wealth of life experience and a wellrounded mind mean we are more likely to make informed and sensible decisions in our old age.

While older minds might take longer to process information than younger ones, they are more likely to draw on past mistakes and act more wisely.

Far from being a time of decline, old age is, in fact, when we make our best decisions.