A New Vision of Aging
Based on writings by Dr. Kerry Burnight for The Guardian and Nancy K. Schlossberg for USA Today
(Burnight’s piece is adapted from her book Joyspan, Worthy Books/Hachette Book Group. Schlossberg is author of Revitalizing Retirement, published by the American Psychological Association.)
Aging is inevitable, but how we experience it is anything but uniform. Dr. Kerry Burnight and Dr. Nancy K. Schlossberg—two distinguished gerontologists—offer complementary perspectives on how to thrive in later life by rejecting societal fear narratives and embracing purpose, adaptability, and connection.
Burnight, who taught geriatric medicine for 19 years at the University of California, Irvine, opens her Guardian essay by dispelling the myth that “age is just a number.” While aging does bring real physical and emotional challenges, the deeper tragedy, she argues, is how Western culture has rendered aging unnecessarily painful, humiliating, and joyless—fueled by an anti-aging industry that profits from fear.
Yet, aging need not be a downward spiral. Burnight identifies four essential, evidence-based elements that help people flourish in their later years:
- Grow: Continue to expand and learn.
- Connect: Invest in relationships.
- Adapt: Adjust to change and challenge.
- Give: Contribute and share oneself with others.
These pillars, distilled from 35 years of empirical research on longevity and wellbeing, support what Burnight calls joyspan—the ability to sustain a sense of contentment and meaning throughout the aging process. Unlike happiness, which is fleeting and externally driven, joy can exist even in difficult circumstances. She illustrates the contrast between two elderly neighbors: one, Dee, views aging as decline and has retreated from life; the other, Joan, sees it as ongoing growth and remains curious, engaged, and emotionally present.
Schlossberg, in her USA Today piece titled “I Am 96 and the Picture of Longevity”, reinforces and personalizes this perspective. Reflecting on her own life and those of others navigating aging, she focuses on transitions—the many role changes, losses, and redefinitions that arise with time. Having survived COVID-19 and a serious decline in energy, Schlossberg asked herself: What now? How can I still matter?
The key, she argues, lies in understanding and managing transitions. Drawing from her “4 S System,” Schlossberg encourages older adults to examine:
- Situation (life context and stressors),
- Self (attitude, optimism, resilience),
- Supports (social and institutional),
- Strategies (coping tools and flexibility).
Whether it’s Gregg Kaplan, a serial retiree seeking relevance after a lifetime of success, or Don Bunch, who returned to work before finally discovering purpose through community involvement, Schlossberg shows that aging well depends less on health or wealth than on meaning and engagement.
Both Burnight and Schlossberg agree that a long lifespan and even a long healthspan are insufficient without a corresponding purpose span. As Schlossberg notes, “mattering”—the belief that we are significant to others—is a vital but often overlooked human motivation. Research backs this up: engagement in intellectually and socially complex activities sustains cognitive and emotional health. From delivering flowers to refurbishing homes, older adults find renewed joy and relevance by contributing, learning, and staying curious.
Together, these two thought leaders offer a clear reframing:
Aging is not simply decline—it is becoming. It is the ongoing process of growing into oneself, adapting to new phases, and cultivating joy through connection and contribution.
As Burnight puts it, “We don’t thrive in longevity by mistake or luck.” And Schlossberg affirms: “Life is a never-ending series of transitions… but one just has to be open to it.”
To read the full articles, follow these links: As Americans live longer, these are my tips for making the most of it | USA Today
