Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives Paperback – December 29, 2020

Encouraging. Helpful. Educational. Essential if you want have increasing control of your life as you inevitably grow older and hopefully wiser. Thank you Daniel Leviton your are a bright star

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.

Great summary of healthy living in later life. Read and discussed it with a group over several meetings.

I cannot imagine what brain has this much retention of information was able to produce this book. If you could retain 40% of the information presented, you deserve an honorary Doctorate in brain science. I am coming to the party ten years too late, but I am glad someone has assembled this information for younger readers. It's not a simple book, so don't think you can skim it and walk away with much. Jim/Maryland

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 muchOne 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.