Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
As a young neuroscientist in training, I'm torn about this book. It's incredibly well researched and covers a lot of really important ground. And while it does overall a good job of balancing the difficulty of talking about the neuroscience of aging in depth without getting too technical, I think it still ends up being too advanced for a normal adult audience while also not being detailed enough for an academic audience. Overall I enjoyed it, but I can see why people have criticized this book for either being too complicated or not complicated enough.
informative
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Decent. Can’t argue with the advice. More moderate than other books on this topic.
Successful Aging is a general approach to growing old, from general discussions on neuroscience and brain and body functioning to practical tips for aging in a positive and graceful manner. Overall the author’s comprehensive methodology works well and one definitely has a sense afterwards that they walk away with some decent pointers on both mindset and health tactics to ease the path toward walking off the last portion of this mortal coil.
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Successful Aging is a scientific but well-written and interesting look at current thinking about how the brain works and how you can protect it as you age.
For you if: You are a curious person and don’t mind reading a lot of scientific info.
FULL REVIEW:
I got my hands on a copy of Successful Aging through the Next Big Idea Club. I wouldn’t normally reach for a book like this on my own, but I’m glad I read it! I was feeling especially curious and drawn to nonfiction one weekend, so I picked it up. And it certainly scratched my curious itch!
This book is an in-depth look at how the brain works (at least, what we know of it today) and how we can protect it as we age in order to live happily and fully for as long as possible. It’s very scientific, but I was impressed with how Daniel Levitin didn’t make it feel like a textbook. Don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of biological words and concepts here. But the way the book was written made them feel as conversational as I think it’s possible to be on a topic like this.
The book definitely inspired me to tweak a few of my habits. He emphasizes things we already know are good for us — sleeping well, eating moderately well, moving our bodies every so often — but clarifies why those things are important for the brain, specifically. It also opened my eyes to the psychology and emotional motivations typical for older adults, which I think will help me interact with my 97-year-old great grandmother specifically!
Several times while I was reading, I looked up and asked my husband, “Did you know that ___?” And I think that’s the mark of a good scientific nonfiction.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Successful Aging is a scientific but well-written and interesting look at current thinking about how the brain works and how you can protect it as you age.
For you if: You are a curious person and don’t mind reading a lot of scientific info.
FULL REVIEW:
I got my hands on a copy of Successful Aging through the Next Big Idea Club. I wouldn’t normally reach for a book like this on my own, but I’m glad I read it! I was feeling especially curious and drawn to nonfiction one weekend, so I picked it up. And it certainly scratched my curious itch!
This book is an in-depth look at how the brain works (at least, what we know of it today) and how we can protect it as we age in order to live happily and fully for as long as possible. It’s very scientific, but I was impressed with how Daniel Levitin didn’t make it feel like a textbook. Don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of biological words and concepts here. But the way the book was written made them feel as conversational as I think it’s possible to be on a topic like this.
The book definitely inspired me to tweak a few of my habits. He emphasizes things we already know are good for us — sleeping well, eating moderately well, moving our bodies every so often — but clarifies why those things are important for the brain, specifically. It also opened my eyes to the psychology and emotional motivations typical for older adults, which I think will help me interact with my 97-year-old great grandmother specifically!
Several times while I was reading, I looked up and asked my husband, “Did you know that ___?” And I think that’s the mark of a good scientific nonfiction.