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Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development Paperback – Illustrated, January 8, 2003

by George E. Vaillant (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 287 ratings
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In an unprecedented series of studies, Harvard Medical School has followed 824 subjects -- men and women, some rich, some poor -- from their teens to old age. Harvard's George Vaillant now uses these studies -- the most complete ever done anywhere in the world -- and the subjects' individual histories to illustrate the factors involved in reaching a happy, healthy old age.

He explains precisely why some people turn out to be more resilient than others, the complicated effects of marriage and divorce, negative personality changes, and how to live a more fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding life in the later years. He shows why a person's background has less to do with their eventual happiness than the specific lifestyle choices they make. And he offers step-by-step advice about how each of us can change our lifestyles and age successfully. Sure to be debated on talk shows and in living rooms, Vaillant's definitive and inspiring book is the new classic account of how we live and how we can live better. It will receive massive media attention, and with good reason: we have never seen anything like it, and what it has to tell us will make all the difference in the world.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 8, 2003
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 9.3 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0316090077
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0316090070
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George E. Vaillant, M.D., is a widely respected researcher, psychiatrist, and professor at the Harvard Medical School. His previous books include "Adaptation to Life" and the classic "New England and The Natural History of Alcoholism." He lives in Australia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Spark; Reprint edition (January 8, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316090077
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316090070
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 287 ratings

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George E. Vaillant

George E. Vaillant

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George E. Vaillant, M.D., is a psychoanalyst and a research psychiatrist, one of the pioneers in the study of adult development. He is a professor at Harvard University and directed Harvard's Study of Adult Development for thirty-five years. He is the author of Aging Well, Triumphs of Experience and The Natural History of Alcoholism, and his 1977 book, Adaptation to Life, is a classic text in the study of adult development. He lives in Orange California, but works part time at Massachusetts GenealHospital.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
287 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Charles Goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, especially for readers in their 30s and 40s
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2008
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This is one of my favorite books for two reasons: It summarizes some extremely interesting research, and I have great respect for the author, George Vaillant, M.D., who has a long-term interest in adult development and psychological coping. I do not know him personally, but as a psychiatrist I have been familiar with his work since the 1970s.

The research involves almost 1000 men and women who were closely studied intermittently for decades, so that the findings are prospective (as opposed to most long-term research which uses retrospective data). As a result, Dr. Vaillant (along with others) has been able to tease out characteristics which can lead to predictions of outcome (in this case "Happy-Well" vs. "Sad-Sick"). He discovers that much of what affects health and happiness over the long term is under our control. The surprise in this book (and Dr. Vaillant's other work) is that circumstances of birth, including genes, do not completely determine our eventual health. This is good news for those of us who are tired of seeing all of medicine and psychology reduced to biological determinism and a worship of so-called cures that come in a bottle or a procedure.

Dr. Vaillant succeeds in this book in striking a balance between using academic concepts and explaining the key findings in very readable and accessible form.

The weakness of the book is that the research, being prospective, suffers from a strong cohort effect. That is, the subjects all lived during a similar historical and cultural period in the U.S. and were subject to the same overall economic, political and social forces. That particular pattern of world and local events is unique; no future generations will ever experience the same environment. So, that makes it hard to generalize his conclusions. Even so, I think Dr. Vaillant does a good job of putting them in perspective and honestly appraising their relevance for current and future generations. It is unlikely research like this will be done again because of the incredible cost and the need for a research team to remain intact for decades.

Despite the title of the book, I recommend it especially for people in their 30s and 40s who are early enough in the process of aging to really apply some of the lessons.

My favorite quote: [Aging well means] "learning to live with neither too much desire and adventure nor too much caution and self-care. ... Rather, successful aging means giving to others joyously whenever one is able, receiving from others gratefully whenever one needs it, and being greedy enough to develop one's own self in between."
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Massachusetts native
4.0 out of 5 stars Important Subject
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2011
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The first half of this book is excellent. The author explains the value of the longitudinal study and then demonstrates its value over and over through the stories of the study's participants. The second half of this book is not as clear or specific as to what the author is trying to tell us. The theme seems to be happy, be outgoing, have a lot of friends and family, have a lot of activity, and you will age successfully. Also, there is an inordinate emphasis on cultivating a garden which is difficult for apartment and city dwellers.
The book is written for a lay person and the author clearly explains any technical information the reader needs to know. It is definitely worthwhile to read this book and glean from what you can that fits with your life.
12 people found this helpful
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Interested Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Several of the critical reviews are misleading.
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2014
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I think this is an outstanding book, and would like to briefly respond to several of the critical reviews.

1. The author is quite conscious of the impact of privilege on the lives of the Harvard graduates he studies, and repeatedly makes efforts to determine what kinds of success are, or are not, the result of privilege. He pays close attention to the lives of the women in the Terman study, and the "Inner-City" men who were not born into privilege, to compare them with the experience of the white male Harvard graduates.

2. The methods of the study (as, I assume, with the field in general) repeatedly make efforts to correct for the bias of individual observers, including the author. Over the decades, there have been many efforts by "blind" raters to examine one part of the subjects' files, with no knowledge of the rest of that subject's file. I.e. a physician reads the file to evaluate the subject's physical health, with no knowledge of that subject's childhood, professional or personal life, etc. This is not simply about the author interviewing people and confirming his pet theories, although you could superficially get that impression.

3. The author is very frank and aboveboard, that he, like every one of us, has certain biases and prejudices in how he sees the world: he is a liberal East Coast academic. However, it is absurd to say that the book is simply a reflection of his prejudices. He writes sensitively and appreciatively about business-executive Republican types (though he is an academic liberal) and about religious believers (though he is not one). I personally am acutely sensitive to the ubiquitous and un-self-conscious liberal bias in the media and academia, and I really did not find any here. Any given page of the New York Times is 100x worse than this book, if liberal bias is something that bothers you.

Finally, a couple of interesting points that I believe the book proves well:

* Within the cohort of (those who were privileged enough to be) Harvard grads, there was little or no correlation between social status at birth and at the end of life. Many men began with trust funds and boarding school, and ended up scraping by; others from small country towns wound up wealthy.

* Many of the "Inner-City" men, who were raised in or near poverty, with few opportunities or privileges, were able to have healthy, rewarding, inspiring lives, with happy marriages, satisfying work, community ties, grandchildren, rewarding hobbies, etc. On average, they had worse physical health, less prestigious occupations, and lower incomes than the Harvard cohort, but were in no way less happy -- again, on average.

What I take away from this book is the idea that although gifts, talents, luck, personal, physical and intellectual qualities, looks, social status, and privilege are all very unequally distributed in life, it is possible to respond well or badly to life's slings and arrows, and that the nature of this response can have a huge impact on your later life. (i.e.: Avoid alcoholism at all costs!!! Seriously.)
77 people found this helpful
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Julia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2015
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:)
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Tori
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2011
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This is a very interesting read! I am loving it, am just past half way and dont want it to end!! It's based on a few very long term studies and it's just so fascinating traveling through these many life stories! I have been experiencing a mini midlife crisis and absolutely dreading getting old but this has given me a different (positive) perspective!! Such a great read, am reading out bits to my hubby and kids and they too love these stories! It really is an inspiring and touching read... lots of being moved to tears etc!! Wonderful!!!
9 people found this helpful
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Octavio F Torres Chazaro
5.0 out of 5 stars Leer un libro de Vaillant es una garantia de seriedad y análisis a fondo de la longevidad y la felicidad en al edad madura
Reviewed in Mexico on September 24, 2015
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Sin duda George E. Vaillant es uno de mis autores favoritos en lo que se refiere no solo al estudio de la longevidad. También es un autor que provee perspectiva y el contexto dentro del cual cada conclusión se genera. Apenas he leido el primer capitulo de su libro Aging Well y ya se lo que puedo esperar de este libro. Es una recapitulación de los tres estudios de longevidad, dentro de los confines de Harvard pero comparando tres grupos diferentes de personas desde su adolescencia o desde sus primeros años en Harvard o en los suburbios de Boston, hasta que las personas murieron o cumplieron mas de 70 años de edad. Su libro se basa en las extensas entrevistas realizadas a estas personas, no solo como documentación de sus motivaciones o sus sufrimientos, sino en búsqueda de lo que tienen en común aquellos que han vencido las edades tradicionales de expectativa de vida, las enfermedades, las dificultades de la niñez, la adolescencia o la adultez y que sin embargo siguen enteros y disfrutando enormemente de la vida, irradiando con ellos a sus parejas, familiares y amigos. Es un libro reflexivo basado en investigaciones serias, que obliga a reflexionar a fondo sobre nuestra propia perspectiva de vida en el muy largo plazo. .... y estoy apenas empezando en este nuevo libro (para mi) de uno de mis autores favoritos.
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MSH Macdonald
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing study
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2016
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Fascinating study into how to age well and not well with intriguing insights into earlier life attitudes and environment. Challenged by those things which not affect our ability to age well.
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Dee
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2021
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Everyone should read this!
2 people found this helpful
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