The Best Years of Your Life

In this episode of Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam interviews Stanford psychologist Laura Carstensen about her research on aging and happiness. Carstensen recounts a near-fatal car accident at age 21 that shifted her perspective on life and led her to study the psychology of aging. Her research challenges the grim consensus that old age is a period of decline, revealing that older people often experience greater emotional stability and happiness than younger people, a phenomenon known as the "paradox of aging." This is attributed to a shift in time horizons, where older adults prioritize emotionally meaningful connections and experiences. The episode further explores how perceptions of time influence social relationships, information processing, and overall well-being, and Carstensen answers listener questions about grief, divorce, and societal expectations about aging.