On Aging: Older as Resource

“Contrary to widespread beliefs that older populations consume resources that would otherwise go to youth, there is growing reason to think that older people may be just the resource children need.”

~ Laura Carstensen, Director of the Stanford Center for Longevity

Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant led a study on aging for more than thirty years. Outlined in the book Aging Well, he reported the importance not just of bonds with partners and peers, but also the ties between generations. Generativity means investing in, caring for, and developing the next generation. His findings showed older adults who did so were three times as likely to be happy as those who did not.