Aging isn’t just a biological process. Our outlooks and emotions also change as we age, often in ways that boost our well-being. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with psychologist Laura Carstensen, who helps us unpack the science behind this surprising finding, and shares what all of us can learn from older people. Then, as part of our ongoing series "Your Questions Answered," we revisit our follow-up chat with Laura, who responds to listeners' thoughts and questions and shares more of her research on what it means to live well as we age.Come see Shankar in person and help us to celebrate Hidden Brain's tenth anniversary! Our next stops on our "Perceptions" tour are Mesa, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. For more info and tickets, visit https://hiddenbrain.org/tour/Episode photo by Hector Reyes on Unsplash
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This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. In one of the movie versions of the Oscar Wilde novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the actor Hurd Hatfield stares longingly at a painting of himself. The picture shows a young man bursting with health and vitality. As Dorian Gray reflects on how he is going to change with age while his picture will stay the same, a strange wish passes through his head.
If only the picture could change. And I could be always what I am now. For that I would give everything. There's nothing in the whole world I would not give. I'd give my soul for that.
In the story, Dorian Gray makes a pact with the devil. The painting starts to age in his place. The physical degradation of the picture isn't only about the passing years. The picture takes on the corruption of the character's many misdeeds. Meanwhile, Dorian Gray himself stays eternally youthful. Oscar Wilde wrote the story in the late 19th century.
The movie came out in the middle of the 20th century. The 21st century is not that different in its preoccupations from its predecessors. Movies, TV shows, and the fashion industry still worship at the altar of youth. People around the world spend billions of dollars on potions and injections and surgical interventions to keep the signs of age at bay.
Clickbait ads on many websites show you what the youthful stars of yesteryears look like today. The message couldn't be clearer. Aging is a terrible thing. Growing old is a horror show. This week on Hidden Brain, astonishing new research about aging that could change the way everyone thinks about life. If you're short, you don't know what it feels like to be tall.
If you're white, you won't know what it's like to be black. Lots of aspects of identity are like this. They are fixed. But there is one form of identity that is certain to change with time. Young people today will become old people tomorrow. But while growing old is inevitable, it comes with so much psychological and cultural baggage that lots of us avoid thinking about it.
In popular culture, getting old means getting kicked out. Lots of elderly people discover that aging makes them invisible to others. At Stanford University, psychologist Laura Karstensen has focused her attention on the topic of aging. She has discovered some astonishing things. Laura Karstensen, welcome to Hidden Brain.
Thank you. Pleasure to be with you.
Laura, I want to take you back to 1974 when you were 21 years old. Like many young people on the cusp of adulthood, you didn't give much thought to aging. What would you say your priorities were at this time of your life?
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