Wise choices can help you to retire healthy

In this episode of our retirement podcast, we talk with Alan Castel, Ph.D.Alan Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles where he studies learning, memory, and aging.  Alan joins us to discuss his new book Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging. We discuss what people of all ages need to know about successful aging and what people can do now  – at just about any age – to prepare to retire healthy.

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Wise Quotes

On Structure

“Retirement can be a challenge. It can be a challenge both for the person retiring, for their spouse, for their family around them, because you lose a lot of the structure you had in your life. Even the small talk you might have had in the workplace, can almost protect you from loneliness. You can feel valued in your profession. When you take all of that away, you know, just playing golf every day is not going to solve the need for stimulation, being around other people.”

On Different Approaches to Retirement 

“Everyone approaches retirement differently. For example, the architect Frank Gehry, his work is really blossoming now and he’s doing amazing things. I don’t think he wants to retire, but he’s focusing on the projects that interest him the most, so he can be more selective. Maya Angelou shifted her career, spent more time writing, but also presenting and teaching. So these people certainly didn’t walk away from their profession. John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, on the other hand, didn’t retire kind of at the top of his game at age 65, having won another national championship. But then he transitioned into consulting, working with others, doing a lot of public speaking. But even at age 95 when I spoke to him, he said he missed the game, he said he loved to be involved in some way, as a consultant working with coaches.”

On Identity and Retirement

" … even though we might not think of our job as our identity, it can influence us in ways that we’re not familiar with. Once we transitioned out of that, we’re left with sometimes a big hole, and a lot of older adults might fear retirement for reasons that go beyond financial ones.”

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Bio

Alan Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He studies learning, memory, and aging. He is interested in how younger and older adults can selectively remember important information.

He lectures internationally to people of all ages. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Time Magazine and has a new book entitled Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, did a fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, and has been on faculty at UCLA since 2006.

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For more on Alan Castel, PhD

Alan’s Book: Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging 

Ted x: How We Learn as We Age

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Related Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Joy of Movement – Kelly McGonigal

Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

Retirement Planning Includes Getting Good at Getting Older – Rabbi Laura Geller

The Mind-Body Connection and The Rabbit Effect – Kelli Harding

If You Love Your Work, What Challenges Will You Face in Retirement? – Michelle Pannor Silver

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About Retirement Wisdom

We help people who are retiring from their primary career – and aren’t done yet – discover what’s next.