MAINTAINING OPTIMISM WHILE AGING

Management consultant Trauth sets out to help older adults improve their life satisfaction in this self-help guide.

The author starts with the practical wisdom that optimism is a “crucial tool” that allows people to handle challenges and setbacks, solve problems, be proactive, and pursue goals. The book advises re-creating the benefits of work—structure, community, and purpose—in one’s post-retirement life. The author also recommends embracing freedom, doing things you love, and saying yes: “True quality of life is derived from a combination of physical health and emotional fulfillment.” Trauth presents research indicating that 93% of longevity is attributable to lifestyle and 7% to genetics; he extols the virtues of exercise, proper nutrition, sufficient sleep, vaccines, purified water, clean air, and social engagement. The author also delves into optimism expert Dr. Martin Seligman’s “explanatory style” and its three dimensions of permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization. He offers tips for building a “support services ‘entourage’” and establishing a “friendship circle.” Even estate planning and treatment for end-of-life anxiety (specifically, psychedelics) merit a chapter. Incorporating characteristics of “Blue Zones” (geographic areas where people live longer lives), says Trauth, may also improve longevity, which means taking up a plant-based diet and pursuing low-intensity physical activity. The book concludes with a quotidian but perhaps essential reminder that “even small changes can make a big difference.” Trauth draws from a variety of scientific, psychological, philosophical, and personal strategic planning perspectives to explore how to improve and extend life. Side-by-side tables illustrate the differences in optimistic versus pessimistic thinking: for example, saying “I have balance issues, so I need to add balance to my routine” versus “I am losing my balance.” The author supplements his advice with features like a free online notebook, a section featuring “interviews with older optimists,” and prompts like “With whom do I share my feelings of loneliness, if anybody?” However, the book dedicates so much space to Seligman’s books Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness that readers might benefit more from reading the source material.

An optimistic reframing on aging that could use more of the author’s own original thinking.