People over 65 are the fastest growing age group in the United States and globally. Currently, the average 65-year-old man in the U.S. will live to be 84 and the average 65-year-old woman will live to be 87. This means that half the people live past that age—in fact, the percentage of people living to age 100 is increasing. Yet, most of us have aged without studying aging. We have lousy “longevity literacy.” 

Of course, genetics and luck play a major role in our longevity and health. But so do controllable factors. In this course, we will first discuss our perceptions of what it means to be aging. Then, we will discuss the effects on our cognitive and physical health and our longevity of factors such as social connections, anticipation, gratitude, optimism, a sense of purpose, and—of course—lifelong learning.

We’ll focus on the good news about aging. We’ll discuss resources from the Stanford Center for Aging and its Longevity Project including their weekly newsletter, “Three Not-So-Bad Things on Aging and Longevity,” and their podcasts. Each week, the course leader also will provide links to some readable social science findings. Our discussions will be enriched by our own ideas for how to augment the positive influences on aging.