Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and author, is joined by Camilla Cavendish, an award-winning journalist and author. They dive into the realities of aging, debunking myths about memory decline while celebrating a positive mindset. Insights reveal how older adults harness life experiences for enhanced perception, showcasing their cognitive adaptability. They discuss the benefits of multi-generational teamwork, innovative living arrangements, and how practices like gratitude and proper sleep can significantly boost happiness in later life.
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insights INSIGHT
Memory and Aging
Memory decline is not a given in aging, occasional forgetfulness is normal.
Older adults may misinterpret forgetfulness as a sign of decline, unlike younger adults.
insights INSIGHT
Benefits of Age Diversity
Multi-generational teams benefit from younger adults' dynamism and older adults' conflict resolution skills.
Age diversity, along with other forms of diversity, improves problem-solving and creativity in teams.
insights INSIGHT
Perception and Aging
Our brains construct our reality by filling in incomplete sensory information using past experiences.
This "perceptual completion" improves with age, compensating for sensory decline.
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In 'Extra Time', Camilla Cavendish explores the global demographic shift where people aged 65 and over outnumber children under five. She argues for a positive approach to ageing, utilizing technology, community, and anti-ageing strategies to revolutionize the second half of life. The book challenges taboos around ageing and suggests ways for governments, businesses, and individuals to adapt to this new reality.
The Changing Mind
A Neuroscientist's Guide to Ageing Well
Daniel Levitin
In *The Changing Mind*, Daniel Levitin challenges common beliefs about aging by highlighting its cognitive benefits. He draws on cutting-edge research to offer practical tips for enhancing cognition across every decade of life. The book explores how decision-making improves with age and how happiness peaks in the eighties, providing insights into successful aging.
We tend to associate old age with deterioration, especially of our mental powers and memory. But today we are seeing a new cohort of the so-called young-old, people in their sixties, seventies and beyond, who are still healthy, active and fully engaged with life. Neuroscientist and bestselling author Daniel Levitin is at the forefront of research to find out how to lead a long and healthy life and in 2020 he came to the Intelligence Squared to share the findings of his book The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Guide to Ageing Well. Joining Levitin was Camilla Cavendish, award-winning journalist and campaigner, who has travelled the world interviewing leading experts for her book Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World. This is the first part of a three-part interview. Join us for more in the following episode.
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