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Religious Affiliation and Brain Shrinkage
Aging baby boomers are using a variety of methods to remain mentally sharp, from brain fitness classes to simply staying social. Newly published research suggests another, admittedly unorthodox...
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Obesity — Not Aging — Balloons Health Care Costs
“I guess I don’t so much mind being old, as I mind being fat and old.” — Peter Gabriel Our rising life expectancy has been nice for those who like being alive, but it seems a bummer for society as a...
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Scamming Grandma Sadly Common
It began late one evening when Harriet, already in bed, answered a call from someone claiming to be a police officer. The caller said that Harriet’s grandson was in a car accident while traveling in...
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Musicians Hear Better Into Old Age
Musicians retain the ability to distinguish speech in noisy conditions far longer than non-musicians. That’s the key finding of a just-published study by two Canadian researchers, who report playing...
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Look Out, Kids: Competitiveness Peaks in Middle Age
In our culture, competitiveness is usually associated with youth. Think of sporting contests, music competitions (both of the classical virtuoso and pop diva varieties), or the pressure-packed process...
View ArticleThe Tyranny of Today: Not Who You Were, Nor Who You’ll Be
“Nothing endures but change,” mused Heraclitus, the fifth-century b.c.e. philosopher. (The same sage who, according to Plato, said that you could never step into the same river twice—it’s always a...
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How the Trailer Park Could Save Us All
Residents call life at Pismo Dunes Senior Park “Pismodise.” Park manager Louise Payne calls it “a holding tank for the great beyond.” Louise has short hair and blunt bleached bangs that give her the...
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Could Family Longevity Protect Against Dementia?
The sons and daughters of people who live very long lives tend to get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease later than others, but they’re not immune from the memory-robbing disease, according to a new...
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Are We Really Getting Sicker as We Age?
Americans are living longer—which means we’re all going to be stuck with ever-increasing medical bills for the growing ranks of the elderly, right? Though many analysts think so, a new study says that...
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Genetic Evidence Suggests Chronic Unemployment Shortens Lives
The high unemployment rates of recent years have led to variety of serious problems, including intense financial strains, tension within families, and the pain of careers being disrupted or destroyed....
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When Do Great Artists Hit Peak Creativity?
The question of when highly accomplished people reach their peak level of creativity has long fascinated researchers. Some make huge breakthroughs relatively early in life: think of Igor Stravinsky,...
View ArticleHow Bureaucrats Stand in the Way of Releasing Elderly and Ill Prisoners
Former inmate Veronica Barnes had three years left to serve in federal prison when she found out in January 2011 that her husband John was dying of pancreatic cancer. Doctors said it was inoperable....
View ArticleRacism Might Hurt Your Cells
Dark moments of discrimination—the stop-and-frisks, the pained job interviews, the whispered epithets—that many African Americans have endured has recently been linked to increased stress and a host of...
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Your Brain Starts Faltering After You Reach Age … 24
Some heartbreaking news for Taylor Swift fans. And Kristen Stewart fans. And fans of anyone who’s age 24 or above. You may have thought their brains had more time. Maybe to get a real job, or to do...
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Cynics Are at a Higher Risk of Developing Dementia
Aging Baby Boomers: What would you do to ward off dementia? Exercise more? Play games designed to beef up brain circuits? Well, here’s another, less-obvious recommendation: Drop your cynicism. A...
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