George E. Vaillant, M.D., is a widely respected researcher, a psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital,
and a professor at the Harvard Medical School. He is also the author of several books, including Adaptation to
Life, Wisdom of the Ego, and the classic The Natural History of Alcoholism.
Summary
Think diet and exercise are the keys to a long, healthy life?
Think again.
What can you do to increase the likelihood of living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life into your sixties, seventies,
eighties, and beyond?
For more than five decades Harvard Medical School has studied the basic elements of adult human development, analyzing
the health and happiness of hundreds of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. In Aging Well, George E.
Vaillant, M.D., the director of the study, draws on the data gathered and reveals for the first time why some people
turn out to be more resilient than others. His surprising conclusion is that individual lifestyle choices play
a greater role than genetics, wealth, race, or other factors in determining how happy people are in later life.
Among the topics Dr. Vaillant explores:
The importance of marriage and the impact of divorce
The role of play and creative activity
The effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other mood elevators
The benefits of forming new friendships and new social networks
The importance of intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning
With its step-by-step advice and its revelation of scientific secrets, this inspiring book can help you -- whether
you are thirty-five or sixty-five -- ensure that your golden years are truly golden.
