Annotation Thirteen chapters written by American university-affiliated geropsychologists review recent psychological research conducted on later life. Themes addressed include neuropsychology and cognitive aging; and aging in relation to emotion, social relationships, health psychology; depression, and psychotherapy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

INSTANT TOP 10 BESTSELLER • New York Times • USA Today • Washington Post • LA Times “Debunks the idea that aging inevitably brings infirmity and unhappiness and instead offers a trove of practical, evidence-based guidance for living longer and better.”—Daniel H. Pink, author of When and Drive SUCCESSFUL AGING delivers powerful insights: • Debunking the myth that memory always declines with age • Confirming that "health span"—not "life span"—is what matters • Proving that sixty-plus years is a unique and newly recognized developmental stage • Recommending that people look forward to joy, as reminiscing doesn't promote health Levitin looks at the science behind what we all can learn from those who age joyously, as well as how to adapt our culture to take full advantage of older people's wisdom and experience. Throughout his exploration of what aging really means, using research from developmental neuroscience and the psychology of individual differences, Levitin reveals resilience strategies and practical, cognitive enhancing tricks everyone should do as they age. Successful Aging inspires a powerful new approach to how readers think about our final decades, and it will revolutionize the way we plan for old age as individuals, family members, and citizens within a society where the average life expectancy continues to rise.

Although older adults may face significant health challenges, they tend to have better emotion regulation skills than younger or middle-age adults. Why is this and how might we use this knowledge to promote better health and well-being in adulthood and later life? Emotion, Aging, and Health explores the reciprocal relations between aging and emotion as well as how best to promote mental and physical health across the lifespan. The authors discuss the neural and cognitive mechanisms behind age-related shifts in affective experience and processing. In addition to presenting emotion-regulation strategies for offsetting age-related declines in mental and physical functioning, they examines the role of culture and motivation in shaping emotional experience across the lifespan along with the factors that determine human illness and human flourishing in old age. By highlighting these major advances in interdisciplinary research, the authors suggest promising avenues for intervention. Book jacket.

More and more people live into old age. This demographic revolution underscores the fact that old age is the last uncharted and unattended phase of the life cycle.

Recent studies show that more people than ever before are reaching old age in better health and enjoying that health for a longer time. This Handbook outlines the latest discoveries in the study of aging from bio-medicine, psychology, and socio-demography. It treats the study of aging as a multidisciplinary scientific subject, since it requires the interplay of broad disciplines, while offering high motivation, positive attitudes, and behaviors for aging well, and lifestyle changes that will help people to stay healthier across life span and in old age. Written by leading scholars from various academic disciplines, the chapters delve into the most topical aspects of aging today - including biological mechanisms of aging, aging with health, active and productive aging, aging with satisfaction, aging with respect, and aging with dignity. Aimed at health professionals as well as general readers, this Cambridge Handbook offers a new, positive approach to later life.

The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Seventh Edition, provides a basic reference source on the behavioral processes of aging for researchers, graduate students, and professionals. It also provides perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for researchers and professionals from other disciplines. The book is organized into four parts. Part 1 reviews key methodological and analytical issues in aging research. It examines some of the major historical influences that might provide explanatory mechanisms for a better understanding of cohort and period differences in psychological aging processes. Part 2 includes chapters that discuss the basics and nuances of executive function; the history of the morphometric research on normal brain aging; and the neural changes that occur in the brain with aging. Part 3 deals with the social and health aspects of aging. It covers the beliefs that individuals have about how much they can control various outcomes in their life; the impact of stress on health and aging; and the interrelationships between health disparities, social class, and aging. Part 4 discusses the emotional aspects of aging; family caregiving; and mental disorders and legal capacities in older adults. - Contains all the main areas of psychological gerontological research in one volume - Entire section on neuroscience and aging - Begins with a section on theory and methods - Edited by one of the father of gerontology (Schaie) and contributors represent top scholars in gerontology

Recent Events in the Psychology of Aging documents the successful integration of aging into the mainstream of psychology. Leading psychologists present overviews of the key issues and research findings on mainstream topics. These include cognitive neuroscience, visual attention, learning, memory and cognition, as well as personality and happiness. The intersection of aging content with mainstream psychology is also prominent in the areas of emotions, personality, and social psychology as seen in the chapters on subjective well-being, emotional development, self-esteem and personality trajectories.The seven chapters of this book offer information on such topics as: the seven sins of memory, categorizing the common breakdowns of memory in everyday life and the special breakdown of sins that increase with aging; problems with attention and learning; and offers answers to questions such as do emotions get blunted with age; do older people focus more on positive feelings; and the age old question of whether older people are happier than younger people is given in the chapter on the evolving concept of subjective well-being and the multifaceted nature of happiness. Questions about what occurs to one's self-esteem and personality are also masterfully discussed and the answers may be surprising. The concluding seventh chapter provides a cultural lens on the biopsychosocial study of aging.

The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, 6e provides a comprehensive summary and evaluation of recent research on the psychological aspects of aging. The 22 chapters are organized into four divisions: Concepts, Theories, and Methods in the Psychology of Aging; Biological and Social Influences on Aging; Behavioral Processes and Aging; and Complex Behavioral Concepts and Processes in Aging. The 6th edition of the Handbook is considerably changed from the previous edition. Half of the chapters are on new topics and the remaining half are on returning subjects that are entirely new presentations by different authors of new material. Some of the exciting new topics include Contributions of Cognitive Neuroscience to Understanding Behavior and Aging, Everyday Problem Solving and Decision Making, Autobiographical Memory, and Religion and Health Late in Life. The Handbook will be of use to researchers and professional practitioners working with the aged. It is also suitable for use as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on the psychology of aging. The Handbook of the Psycology of Aging, Sixth Edition is part of the Handbooks on Aging series, including Handbook of the Biology of Aging and Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, also in their 6th editions.

Publisher Description

At present, about 45 million Americans are over the age of 65, and by 2020, one out of every six Americans will be 65 or older. These statistics are reflective of a worldwide phenomenon in developing and developed countries alike unrivalled since the Industrial Revolution. This edited volume, written by experts in many fields, examines the economic and psychological research on how aging consumers behave, make decisions, and choose in the marketplace. The book takes stock of what is known, identifies gaps and open questions, and outlines an agenda for future research. It covers topics from the individual to the societal level of analysis.