We could say that the content of our current lives, both the positive and negative aspects, is the sum total of our day-to-day habits. All of us can identify good and bad habits that are part of our character, behaviors that sometimes help us succeed and other times hold us back. Neuroscientists now know a lot about how habits form and that they are related to a feature of the brain known as neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to... Read more
Staying on a healthy diet can be difficult in today’s world. Advertisements for fast food and candy are everywhere, and store shelves are packed with tempting treats. Unsurprisingly, lots of people struggle with weight gain and diet-related illnesses as a result. Have you ever considered, though, that an analogous situation exists with information? Information is like food for our brain, and we are living in the Information Age, so there is plenty of informational junk food for us to consume.... Read more
Although people often bemoan getting older, multiple surveys have found that older people are happier than younger people. Perhaps this is because the process of living teaches people what is truly important about life. Usually, as we age, we finally give up trying to find happiness through shallow and elusive means. At last, we can find simple joy and earnest gratitude for what we already have, such as a beautiful planet, a lifetime of memories, and other people with whom... Read more
“I don’t care.” People say this a lot these days. You could say that we are living in an “I don’t care” society. Oftentimes, saying this phrase is a good thing, perhaps indicating that the person is unattached to the outcome in any given situation. Or, it can show a willingness to go with the flow of a situation and to just enjoy things as they arise. “Where do you want to go to dinner tonight?” “I don’t care.” But... Read more
As we grow older, it may seem like all beginnings are behind us. All the milestones we usually celebrate about life—growing up, graduating, getting a job, getting married, etc.—are behind us, and we might presume that it is too late to start again, that all our beginnings have passed us by. This is far from the truth, though, since life offers practically infinite possibilities for beginning again. New Beginnings Are Natural First, realize this: Nothing in nature is ever static... Read more
These days, there’s a lot of debate about which name is best for people in their later years. Should we call ourselves “senior citizens”? “Older people”? “Golden-agers”? The problem is that any name will tarnish if we continue to nurture negative feelings about becoming older. That’s why I think we should choose a positive term and embrace it, regardless of whatever stereotypes the culture at large may hold. The only way to overcome negative projections from other people is to... Read more
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make people’s older years better, especially since I first began writing my new book, I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years. There’s many aspects of life to consider—relationships, self-esteem, spiritual fulfillment, and much more. But I always come back to the same thing as most important—the brain. Nothing else affects health and happiness more, especially for older people who face the possibility of cognitive decline and rapid changes in life circumstances. So, I’ve... Read more
As people live longer, they are spending more time than ever in retirement. The average time is now over 18 years for both men and women, and for many it is much longer than that. If a person retires at 65 and then lives to be 100, he or she will have spent well over a third of that lifetime, 35 years, in retirement! The number of centenarians has quadrupled since 1990 and the demographic continues to grow quickly, so... Read more
In the past few years, as birth rates decline and people live longer lives, much concern has been expressed about the world’s aging populations. In many developed countries, there are many more senior citizens than ever before in history, and the percentage is projected to grow even more in the next few decades. In the United States, for example, people over the age of 65 are expected to comprise nearly a quarter of the country’s population by 2060. We are... Read more
We humans spend a lot of our time in life building up our identities, trying to “become somebody.” It starts as very young toddlers when we first learn that we have our own bodies separate from other people: “my foot, your foot,” “my face, Mommy’s face.” As we continue to look around and learn about the world, we see that all the people around us have specific names and roles: “That person is my mommy. That person is my daddy.... Read more
Living Tao with Ilchi Lee
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