In 2015, New York Times journalist John Leland set out to follow the lives of six people over the age of 85. What John learned shattered his preconceived notions about aging, loneliness, and loss. The resulting 2018 book, Happiness is a Choice You Make, became an international bestseller and delved into how these older individuals found wisdom and joy in the later stages of life. In this episode, John joins us to discuss the transformational exploration he undertook and lessons on living well he has discovered from this journey.
In this episode, you will hear about:
- How a college music reviewer came to write for The New York Times - 1:41
- How John’s exploration of aging began when he was initially—reluctantly—assigned to write a series of articles on old age and retirement - 5:04
- Reflections on how John’s expectations of aging — including loss, sadness, loneliness — were transformed over the course of this writing project - 9:01
- How John discovers his interview subjects - 11:38
- A discussion of John’s book, Happiness is a Choice You Make, and the lessons he learned from his subjects -14:44
- Advice to young clinicians on finding moments of happiness in their careers - 26:19
- John’s surprising realization that elders are not “depressed all the time” - 33:53
- A discussion of John’s recent article, in which he was documents the last days of Shatzi Weisberger, a nurse and prominent death educator - 36:53
- Reflections on how John’s relationships with older adults have changed his perception of death - 40:07
- Advice to clinicians on how they can better help older patients connect with what makes their lives meaningful - 45:03
John Leland is the author of the book Happiness is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old.
He is also a staff writer at the New York Times. In this episode we discussed his articles How Loneliness is Damaging Our Health, and She Preached About Death Without Fear. Could She Practice it?
You can follow John Leland on Twitter @JohnLeland.
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