A lot of people think they want to live forever. But do they really? I tend to believe that most of us only want to stick around as long as we are reasonably fit, healthy and happy. However, there is only so much we can do that will guarantee that outcome. Instead, what most of us don’t know (and I didn’t know until recently) the length of time you believe you have left has more of an influence on your well-being than you probably know.  Just being aware of that and how it changes our goals and motivations going forward, might be the best strategy we can take for making the most of the time we have left.  Why?

A bulk of this view comes from the work of Dr. Laura L. Carstensen who is the director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, author of numerous books on aging and an undisputed leader in the psychology of aging.  [Read more…]