The Retirement Wisdom Podcast

We're quick to notice ageism. But sometimes we harbor ageist assumptions about growing older that we may not be fully aware of. Dr. Tracey Gendron, author of Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It, argues that there's a healthier perspective on aging as a new developmental stage of life.

We discuss:

Why she thinks everything you know about aging is wrong

The driving forces behind ageism

The consequences of ageism – for individuals, businesses, and societies

Myths about older workers that need to be busted

The downsides of traditional retirement and age-segregated communities

How retirement can be a new developmental stage of life

How can people ask themselves more strength-based and growth-centered questions on aging

Ableism and how elderhood offers a new vision of later life

How she defines aging

Dr. Gendron joins us from Virginia.

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Bio

Dr. Tracey Gendron serves as Chair for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology. Tracey has a Master’s degree in Gerontology, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. With over 25 years of experience as a gerontologist, Dr. Gendron has authored and co-authored over 30 manuscripts and seven book chapters on ageism and aging-related topics. She is frequently quoted in popular media outlets, including the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Gendron has spoken about ageism in forums across America.

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For More on Dr. Tracey Gendron

Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

From Role to Soul – Connie Zweig

The Age Tech Revolution – Keren Etkin

Are You Ready for The New Long Life? – Andrew Scott

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

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Wise Quotes

On Why Everything You Know About Aging is Wrong

"...the way that we talk about aging is usually all about how our bodies age and decline. So we're all familiar with the aches and the pains and the different injuries that we may have or disability or illnesses. And that's most of what we associate with aging. And yes, that is part of aging. But when I say everything else you know about aging is wrong, it is because we don't talk about aging in terms of growth in terms of opportunity and in terms of development. What do you like better about yourself now than you did last year, or the year before, or five years ago? Aging is really change and not negative change. It's positive change as well. So, that's what I'm getting at with everything you think you know about aging is wrong - because you really just hear about a single story of aging, which is the story of decline. Then when you look at the messages that are given about aging from the larger culture, it also feeds that narrative and really brings us a sense of shame about getting older. Instead of growing older, [it's] how we have to fight aging and how we should hide the visible signs of aging. All of that really comes together to shape what you think you know about aging. And the book is saying let's look at this a little more critically and then let's see if you can make a decision for yourself about how you want to see aging."

On The Consequences of Ageism

"Decades of knowledge and research shows that how we feel about our own aging - if we have negative attitudes - is bad for our health. But it's not something that we really talk about and not something that most people know, so there's some pretty serious consequences of negative attitudes towards aging or what I would call in...

If you have children and/or grandchildren, how can you help them be smart about financial decisions? And if you're helping them financially, how do you stay on track with your own financial planning for retirement? Our guest today is Bobbi Rebell, CFP, author of the new book Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart. 

We discuss:

What gets in the way of young adults achieving financial independence.

 How to evolve the relationship with their children as they're becoming adults

The Bank of Mom and Dad - and how long it should be open

The best times to engage with young adults on this topic

How schools can improve education on practical financial literacy

What parents and grandparents can learn from 20-somethings and teenagers

The key things parents and grandparents can do to help young adults achieve financial independence

Bobbi Rebell, CFP joins us from New York.

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Bio

Bobbi Rebell is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and host of the critically acclaimed Money Tips for Financial Grownups podcast.

She is the author of Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart. The book is a call to action for parents of teenagers and young adults who want the best for their kids, but are beginning to realize their OWN financial independence, and financial separation from their children, has to become a priority as well.

Her first book "How to Be a Financial Grownup: Proven Advice from High Achievers on How to Live Your Dreams and Have Financial Freedom” was released in 2016. In 2017, she left her job as a global business news television anchor and personal finance columnist at Thomson Reuters to expand the Financial Grownup brand into other channels of financial education content. Later that year she obtained her CFP® certification. Previously Bobbi had worked at CNBC, CNN and PBS' Nightly Business report.

Bobbi is now a frequent keynote speaker, emcee, conference host/moderator, and continues to anchor local news reports on a freelance basis. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and received her Certificate in Financial Planning from New York University. Bobbi lives in NYC with her husband, 3 kids and her morkie Waffles.

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For More on Bobbi Rebell, CFP

Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart

Website

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

An Economist’s Take on Retirement Planning – Larry Kotlikoff

The Power of Fun – Catherine Price

The Key Decisions for Retirement Success – Wade Pfau

Are You Living Gratefully? – Kristi Nelson

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Wise Quotes

On The Bank of Mom & Dad

"...the services in The Bank of Mom and Dad are offering should adjust to the different appropriate life stages. So for example, maybe when they're out of college, you can say: Well, you can live at home for free and we're not gonna charge you for groceries, but we expect you to have an exit strategy and share it with us. And as long as we are effectively paying your rent and all of your food and all of that, we get to see your finances, right? Just like a bank would say: Well, if we're going to lend you money or provide financing, we are entitled to see these things. So no money, unless there's transparency. Rule number one and number two: do things that make sense."

On When to Engage on This Topic

"The moment it matters to them. That's the key thing. Something might matter to you,

It's time to move! Spring is here and its a great time to get more movement in your day-to-day life. Science journalist Caroline Williams shares insights from research on movement and the mind-body connection; why exercise is good, but not enough; and practical tips on ways to move more.

We discuss:

 How “long, ponderous dog walks”  led to this book

The compelling stats on how inactive people have become – and what’s behind those trends

The consequences of a more sedentary lifestyle

Why there's much more to learn about walking than you may think

Is it the mind-body connection or the body-mind connection? Who’s driving the bus?

What she's personally doing differently now because of what she learned in writing the book

The many ways that dancing for fun can help you

Some surprising benefits of stretching and yoga

Why focusing on the fundamentals like posture and smiling can make a big difference

Why going to the gym is good - but not enough.

Caroline's advice on how to build more movement into your everyday life

Caroline Williams joins us from Surrey in the UK.

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Bio

Caroline Williams is a science journalist and editor. A consultant for and regular contributor to New Scientist, her written work has also appeared in The Guardian, The Boston Globe, BBC Future, and BBC Earth, among others. She has worked as a radio producer and reporter for BBC Radio, and was the regular co-host of the New Scientist podcast from 2006 to 2010. She is the author of two books: Override: My quest to go beyond brain training and take control of my mind (published as My Plastic Brain in the USA), and Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free. She was also editor of the New Scientist Instant Expert Guide to the Brain. She holds a BSc in biological sciences from Exeter University and an MSc (Distinction) in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She lives in Surrey, UK.

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For More on Caroline Williams

Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Joy of Movement - Kelly McGonigal

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

How to Get Stronger After 50 – Dave Durell

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

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Wise Quotes

On Rest and Balance

"The interesting thing that I found about rest was that there's all these studies and statistics about how little we're moving and that we're spending all this time being sedentary. But there's a parallel body of work on rest. And something like 60% of people that were surveyed came back and said they didn't feel that they were getting enough rest.  So whatever we're doing with all this sedentary time we're not finding it particularly restful. So to be able to to move and have the energy to do what you need to do , you have to rest. They're two sides of the same coin. One interesting thing to to remember with rest is it doesn't necessarily have to involve being sedentary. Rest can be running up a hill if it allows you to forget what's going on in your life and and come back feeling happy and exhausted. So I think rethinking rest is a partner to movement."

On Movement Snacks

"So it's not simply a case of sort of getting out of bed, sitting at your desk for 4 hours, going for a mad run, and then coming back sitting for another 4 hours. It's more about breaking up the sedentary time. It doesn't have to involve anything particularly strenuous - just getting up moving around.

The seeds of a satisfying retirement are planted before it begins. And the disruption of the last two years have underscored the importance of several things that perhaps we took for granted. Our guest today, Dr.Maggie Mulqueen, shares her insights on how to navigate the transition to retirement well in challenging times.

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Bio

Maggie Mulqueen, Ph.D., is a writer, commentator, and psychologist in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Dr. Mulqueen graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s of science degree and then went onto the University of Pennsylvania where she received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology and the Phi Delta Kappa award for dissertation of the year.

She has been an adjunct faculty member of Lesley University, Boston College, and the Norman E. Zinberg Center for Addiction Studies at Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Hospital.

A licensed psychologist, she maintains a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. She and her husband live in the Boston suburbs, where they raised their three sons.

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For More on Maggie Mulqueen, Ph.D

Website 

Covid has changed retirement — and canceled the celebrations that usually mark it  - NBC News

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Everyday Vitality – Dr. Samantha Boardman

The Skill Set for Life’s Transitions – Bruce Feiler

Think Big – Dr. Grace Lordan

The Second Curve of Life – Arthur C. Brooks

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Wise Quotes

On Transitioning to Retirement

"...The other thing about this is to really understand that it is a chapter. It's a transition, it's not a moment in time. Some people could be retired as long as their work life. Just like in developmental theory, there probably is an early middle and late retirement. It's not one thing. A retired 60 year old is real different than a retired 80 year old. And there's a difference about seeing it as a transition versus a cliff. And I think for those people, for whom retirement is a cliff, it's very, very hard. They go into anonymity. They feel that society doesn't value their wisdom, their input, and they feel really sidelined. And I think for people who can transition, who have the physical, mental, and financial resources, to make this a rich time, to reinvent themselves, whether that be volunteer work or different kinds of paid employment, they have a much easier time of it. It comes back to having a cohort group, a community of people who support you in going through a transition. We need to understand it's not: One day I was working the next day, I'm retired. It's really: I'm transitioning."

On Getting Your House In Order

"It's something to plan for and to think about. Is it something you want to stop cold turkey? Or do you want to see if you can negotiate some kind of part-time transition, so that you can kind of put your toe in the water or begin to think about how you will restructure your life when the structure is up to you? I would say another deficit, frankly, for many Americans is because we are so work-identity-focused. Many people don't invest in extracurriculars, hobbies, relationships, and so they don't naturally have other things to do, even though they might say, Oh, I've always been interested in X. If you haven't invested the time, I would spend a year before retirement trying some of those things out and seeing, is that really true? Does it hold my interest as much as I think it might? Or could I start to volunteer someplace and, and create some other relationships, so when I lose my work colleagues, there are other people who know me and whom I know and care about and have in my life?

In this third installment of The Retirement Roundtable, previous guests Michelle Pannor Silver (author of Retirement and Its Discontents, Ted Kaufman, and Bruce Hiland (co-authors of Retiring? Your Next Chapter Is about Much More Than Money) return to discuss the challenges of retirement - and the work it takes to prepare well to overcome them and create a fulfilling next chapter.

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Bios

Dr. Michelle Pannor Silver 

Michelle Pannor Silver is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and author of numerous studies on retirement and aging. Her book, Retirement and Its Discontents, draws from in-depth interviews she conducted with people whose departure from their life’s work meant losing a core and fundamental component of their personal identity. Her work calls attention to ageism and societal loss associated with retirement while highlighting the personal struggles that can be arise when there is a mismatch between one’s idealized retirement and the reality of giving up identity, income, and status. Michelle received her PhD from the University of Chicago in 2010 and did her undergraduate and masters studies at the University of California Berkeley.

Ted Kaufman & Bruce Hiland - Co-authors of Retiring?: Your Next Chapter Is about Much More Than Money

Ted Kaufman is the former U S Senator from Delaware succeeding Senator Joseph Biden. He was Biden’s Chief of Staff for 19 years and headed up his 2020 Presidential Transition. He retired in 1995 and over the next 22 years taught courses at Duke University in the Law School, Fuqua School of Business, and Sanford School of Public Policy. At eighty-three, he and his wife, Lynne, celebrate their sixty-third anniversary this year.

Bruce Hiland's entire career - Brown University, Navy officer, Wharton MBA, McKinsey, CAO at Time Inc., 20 years of CEO-level consulting, four startups and considerable community service - focused on the challenges and opportunities people experienced in their work life. With that history, focusing on the challenges of succeeding at retirement came naturally. Now eighty-one, he and Ginny, his wife/partner of fifty-eight years, enjoy their family, deal with aging and are harvesting the fruits of their labor.

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For More on the Guests

Michelle Pannor Silver website

Retirement and Its Discontents: Why We Won't Stop Working, Even If We Can

Retiring? website Retiring?: Your Next Chapter Is about Much More Than Money

(100% of proceeds are donated to charity)

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Retire Happy – Dr. Catherine Sanderson

A Tapas Life – Andy Robin

When Will You Flip the Switch? – Dr. Barbara O’Neill

What Are The Keys To A Successful Retirement? Fritz Gilbert

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Wise Quotes

On the Challenges of Retirement

"There's these great, airbrushed images that we see of retirees relaxing on the beach enjoying life to the fullest, finally having the free time to sit on a park bench and enjoy cruises, right? These are the very common images we see and the idea that we just have tons of leisure time to spend and do all these exciting things. And I think there's a real disconnect that people often feel, particularly when and the work that they've dedicated their lives to suddenly is not part of their daily routine. And so the sense of reality that my days are no longer structured or are no longer connected to what gave me a sense of worth, whether that was a paycheck or the work that one was doing, or the sense of accomplishment and the sense of acknowledgement for the work that you did, those dissipate.

It's wise to look back before you go forward. William Damon, one of the world’s leading developmental psychologists, shares insights from an unexpected life review sparked by information on the father he never knew. His new book A Round of Golf with My Father: The New Psychology of Exploring Your Past to Make Peace with Your Present illustrates how a life review can shape your future and sense of purpose.

William Damon joins us from California.

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Bio

William Damon is the director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, a professor of education at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Damon's research explores how people develop integrity and purpose in their work, family, and civic life. Damon's current work focuses on vocational, civic and entrepreneurial purpose among the young and on purpose in families and schools. He examines how young Americans can be educated to become devoted citizens and successful entrepreneurs. Damon's work has been used in professional training programs in fields such as journalism, law, and business and in character and civic education programs in grades K–12.

Damon’s recent books include Failing Liberty 101; The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find Their Calling in Life (2008) and Taking Philanthropy Seriously (2006); Damon’s earlier books include Bringing in a New Era in Character Education (Hoover Press, 2002); Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of Indulgence in Our Homes and Schools (1995); and The Moral Child (1992).

Damon is editor in chief of The Handbook of Child Psychology, fifth and sixth editions (1998 and 2006). He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

Damon has received awards and grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Thrive Foundation for Youth, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Before coming to Stanford in 1997, Damon was University Professor and director of the Center on the Study of Human Development at Brown University. From 1973 to 1989, Damon served in several academic and administrative positions at Clark University. In 1988, he was Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Puerto Rico, and in 1994–95 he was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

Damon received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his PhD in developmental psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He is married and has three children.

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For More on William Damon

A Round of Golf with My Father: The New Psychology of Exploring Your Past to Make Peace with Your Present

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Retire Happy – Dr. Catherine Sanderson

The Second Curve of Life – Arthur C. Brooks

The Future You – Brian David Johnson

Are You Ready for The New Long Life? – Andrew Scott

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Wise Quotes

On Purpose versus Meaning

"...purpose is more than meaning. It goes beyond meaning. You have a goal, you have something you're trying to accomplish. It's a commitment to do something that makes a difference in the world. And even more than that, there's a bit of a beyond the self aspect to purpose, almost like a transcendent quality. If I have a purpose in life, it's something I'm dedicated to that I care about so much, because I think it will leave something to the world at large, the world beyond the self.

What's the bigger picture context for your retirement? Demographics and scientific advancements in longevity are changing the way we live. Demographic futurist Bradley Schurman, author of The Super Age, joins us to talk about what these megatrends mean for your retirement.

We discuss:

His  journey in writing The Super Age book

The two megatrends creating The Super Age– the science of longevity and demographics and how they're changing the world we live in.

How to "Make Home and Community Gray Again."

The major upsides of the Super Age.

The biggest challenges that will need be solved by governments - and by individuals.

The cost of doing nothing.

The lessons we can learn from Japan.

How “retirement” will look in the future.

Two different paths  for people who want to work longer .

Why the scientific advances aren't enough.

The challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community with retirement – and how might things evolve in the Super Age.

How the policies, programs and practices of companies will need to evolve to attract, develop, and retain a more age diverse workforce.

The key messages he'd like readers to take away from The Super Age.

Bradley joins us from Washington, D.C.

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Bio

Bradley Schurman is a demographic futurist and opinion maker on all things dealing with the business of longevity. You might know him as the founder of The Super Age - a global collective of change-makers that offers information and professional business consulting services geared to help organizations respond to demographic change, as well as harness the opportunities of an increasingly older and generationally diverse population, or for the groundbreaking AARP Aging Readiness and Competitiveness Report. Bradley is a social connector that has built his reputation by helping leading organizations understand our increasingly older and generational diverse world. He explains how shifting demographics and the collision of the megatrends of decreased birthrates and increased longevity are remaking social and economic norms in the United States and around the world.

Prior to launching The Super Age, Schurman was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of EconomyFour, where he led business development in Asia and Europe. He also served AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) – the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older people – where he was Director of Global Partnerships and Engagements. Schurman got his start at LeadingAge (formerly the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging) – the non-profit trade association representing non-profit providers of long-term care, housing, and support services.

Schurman was instrumental in securing the topics of aging and longevity as focus areas at both the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Economic Forum (WEF). He was also responsible for visioning and executing the Aging Readiness and Competitiveness Report – a groundbreaking collaborative research project between AARP and Foreign Policy Group.

Schurman has been featured on NBC's TODAY Show and CHEDDER, and has been quoted in the New York Times, HuffingtonPost, and USA Today, as well as in local and national media outlets around the world. He speaks regularly at thought leader forums and corporate retreats, and has advised national leaders and corporate executives on their longevity strategies.

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For More on Bradley Schurman

The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny

The Super Age (company website)

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Second Curve of Life – Arthur C. Brooks

Are you thinking big enough about your retirement? The traditional one-size-fits-all retirement isn't the right fit for many people today. You can create a version that's best for you. Dr. Grace Lordan, author of Think Big, Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want explains how findings from behavioral science can help you do just that, by overcoming cognitive biases and other obstacles. Many of my favorite books for retirement aren't about retirement, but the principles can give you an edge in thinking big and building your future.

We discuss:

Her idea of ME+ in Think Big

How the concept of Your Future Self can help you think big

Why new can narratives help us

When the “stories we tell ourselves” get in our way

How cognitive biases present obstacles

A cognitive bias many people aren’t aware of – but should be

The dangers of all or nothing thinking

Why identifying and managing your Time Sinkers can be a game changer

How small, positive actions done regularly drive make progress 

Why being compassionate toward others matters

Grace Lordan joins us from London.

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Bio

Dr Grace Lordan is the Founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative and an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Grace is an economist and her research is focused on quantifying the benefits of inclusion within and across firms, as well as designing interventions that level the playing field for under-represented talent within firms.

Grace is an expert advisor to the UK government sitting on their skills and productivity board, is a member of the UK government’s BEIS social mobility taskforce and is on the Women in Finance Charter’s advisory board.

Her academic writings have been published in top international journals and she has written for the Financial Times and Harvard Business Review. Grace is a regular speaker and advisor to blue chip finance and technology firms.

Think Big, Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want, is her first book.

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For More on Grace Lordan

Think Big, Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want

Website

SMILE in 2022 - London School of Economics Business Review (a 3 minute read on six life lessons from behavioral science you can put to good use this year)

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

How to Begin – Michael Bungay Stanier

The Future You – Brian David Johnson

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

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

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Wise Quotes

On Visualizing Your Future Self

"In behavioral science one of the things we know for sure is that people who visualize their future self in the present are much more likely to invest in themselves. There's lots of things that are going on that can distract us from investing in our future selves. So, it's really bringing the idea of yourself, not just the kind of vision and the lifestyle the person will actually have, but what they will actually be doing on a Monday to Friday [basis] in life is really what gets you there -  through imagination. I can't reiterate enough how well visualization works  to bring the future to life. But it also works to bring the future into the present day, which is really when you needed to get motivated to take these small steps that will get you there."

On Small Steps and a New Narrative

"I think fundamentally the stories that we tell ourselves define our actions. So if you believe that you don't deserve something, you're probably never going to get it.

How are you approaching the second half of life? There are inevitable declines to deal with. But there are gifts that emerge that, if you're attuned to them, can create greater meaning, renewed purpose, and happiness as you retire. Arthur Brooks, Harvard Professor and happiness columnist in The Atlantic, joins us to discuss his new book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. Are you ready for The Second Curve?

Arthur Brooks joins us from Massachusetts.

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Bio

Arthur C. Brooks is the Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. Before joining the Harvard faculty in July of 2019, he served for ten years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks.

He is also a columnist for The Atlantic, host of the podcast “How to Build a Happy Life with Arthur Brooks,” and subject of the 2019 documentary film “The Pursuit.”Arthur has written 12 books, including the national bestsellers “Love Your Enemies” and “The Conservative Heart.” His most recent book is “From Strength to Strength,” available on February 15, 2022.

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For More on Arthur Brooks

Order From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life

Website: arthurbrooks.com

Twitter: @arthurbrooks

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Episodes You May Like

Everyday Vitality – Dr. Samantha Boardman

Successful Aging – Daniel Levitin

Retire Happy – Dr. Catherine Sanderson

Are You Ready for The New Long Life? – Andrew Scott

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Mentioned in This Episode

HOW TO WANT LESS: The secret to satisfaction has nothing to do with achievement, money, or stuff. (The Atlantic)

Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think: Here's How to Make the Most of It. (The Atlantic)

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

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Wise Quotes

On The First & Second Curves

"I noticed that analysis and innovation get harder as we get older and and I started looking into why that was. And there's a whole body of research that shows that there's something called fluid intelligence.

Fluid intelligence is what makes you good at what you're good at. So you were a Wall Street (HR) guy and and what made you good at your job was that you were able to answer other people's questions and solve other people's problems faster than anybody else. That's what makes you really good in the knowledge business and the ideas business. And that gets easier, and better, through your 20s and and into your 30s. And then in your late 30s, according to the research, that fluid intelligence, the ability to do that actually starts to decline, and is really in free fall in your 40s. That's why certain things for people who are in perfectly good health and have high levels of skill, find their job getting harder and just more challenging than it used to be. That's why lawyers find that in their 40s they're not as sharp as they were in their 30s and surgeons find the same thing - whether they're willing to admit it or not.

But here's the good news. Actually the research shows that's not your only intelligence. The first intelligence curve goes up and comes back down - but there's another intelligence curve behind it called the crystallized intelligence curve, which makes it much easier for you not to answer somebody else's questions, but to ask the right questions.

Your expectations and beliefs matter. Science journalist David Robson, author of The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World highlights research showing how negative views on aging impact how someone actually ages, and other ways expectations influence you.

We discuss:

How attitudes about aging influence the aging process

Ways in which expectations & beliefs affect our health, happiness and well-being

How expectations color what we see – literally and figuratively

The role that the expectations of other people plays in your life

How contagious toxic beliefs can be, but how the Framingham Heart Study shows the flip side

The research that surprised him the most

The benefits of multigenerational relationships versus age segregation

The pros and cons of approaching life with low expectations so you won't be disappointed

Practical ways to harness the power of expectations – and avoid the downsides

David Robson joins us from London.

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Bio

David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Men’s Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists’ Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic.

David’s first book, The Intelligence Trap, was published in 2019, and received worldwide media attention. His second book The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life, will be published in the USA and Canada on 15 February 2022. It is “a journey through the cutting-edge science of how our mindset shapes every facet of our lives, revealing how your brain holds the keys to unlocking a better you”.

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For More on David Robson

Website

The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World

Follow on Twitter

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Everyday Vitality – Dr. Samantha Boardman

Chatter & Your Inner Voice – Ethan Kross

Can You Grow Younger? – Marta Zaraska

The Power of Fun – Catherine Price

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Wise Quotes 

On the Impact of Negative Beliefs About Aging

"This research was so compelling to me - it's actually the reason I wrote the book. I've been looking into the expectation effect for a while and then I came across these studies on on the implications for aging and it just felt like it was something that deserved a whole book rather than a magazine feature article. And just to give some background, the expectation effect concerns how our beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies through changes to our behavior and our physiology. And the research on aging really demonstrates this beautifully. So that's shown that people who have a negative belief about aging - who associate aging with a kind of inevitable decline with disability and with a lack of independence - that they actually age much more quickly. Their actual biological aging is accelerated. And this can be seen right down to the cellular level. So the length of the protective caps at the ends of the chromosomes for example, these telomeres,