3 Keys to Optimal Living in the Second Half of Life |
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Research shows that people are living longer, making it necessary to understand healthy aging.
A study found that positive views of aging can maintain and even improve physical and mental function.
Defining the meaning of life in one's later years can create a sense of purpose, leading to greater vitality.
The World Health Organization (2025) reported that people all over the world are living longer, and that by the year 2030, 1 in 6 people will be age 60 or older. A recent international review of healthy aging recommended that we develop a new understanding of the factors contributing to healthy aging (Catalano et al., 2025).
If you’re in the second half of life, you can take active steps to live with greater well-being, joy, and vitality. In addition to eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise, research finds that three ways you approach aging can bring you greater vitality in the days ahead.
1. Revise Your View of Aging
A new study by Levy and Slade (2026) reveals the need to dramatically reconsider our previous views of aging. The researchers found that we can maintain and even improve our physical and cognitive function when we develop more positive beliefs about aging. Instead of retreating into what once were called our “declining years,” you can focus on what you can do—discovering new possibilities in the days to come.
2. Have a Sense of Purpose
A study of older adults in rural Japan found that ikigai, a culturally grounded sense of purpose, enables older adults to flourish and remain active members of their community in their 90s and 100s. What the study called “spiritual health”—mindfulness practices, community involvement, continuing education, mutual support, and inclusion in meaningful social roles—serves as a foundation for vibrant, meaningful lives (Ariji et al., 2025).
Betty Reid Soskin, America’s oldest park ranger, offers an example of a purposeful life. Born in 1921, Soskin lived a life of public service, working in a shipyard during World War II and advocating for the rights of African American workers. At age 85, she began working as a park ranger at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II National Historical Park. Soskin retired at age 100 in 2022. Leaving a legacy of joyful service, she died at age 104 in 2025, surrounded by family and friends (Harvey, 2026).
Someone I know who’s also made a difference is my friend Gertrude Welch, who worked for years as a secretary at Santa Clara University. When she retired, she said she could now “work full-time for peace and justice.” And she did. She brought together people of many faiths in dialogues about peace, chaired a local human relations commission, and helped develop low-income housing and reduce hate in our community. For her kindness, compassion, and leadership, Gertrude received numerous awards. Her legacy lives on as an inspiration to her many friends and neighbors. In 2010, the San Jose Peace and Justice Center established the annual Gertrude Welch Peace and Justice Award to honor her memory.
3. Embrace Your Power to Choose
Instead of surrendering to outworn definitions of aging and other people’s expectations, you can define this season of life for yourself. What are your values, and how do you choose to live them?
In her book, You’re Not Too Old, and It’s Not Too Late, psychologist Ilene Berns-Zare encourages us to reimagine our possibilities for the second half of life. She shares strategies for developing greater mindfulness and a deeper sense of purpose, drawing upon our strengths, and living with a growth mindset (Dweck, 2006).
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Research has shown how choosing to engage in new activities can build our resilience, expand our social connections, and open up new possibilities for us (Luchetti et al., 2016; Staudinger, 2020).
Maintaining and building our social connections is also vital to our well-being, especially in the second half of life when many people lose their work communities in retirement. One beneficial way to reach out is through volunteer work; studies have shown that extending kindness to others can relieve loneliness, anxiety, and depression (Cregg & Cheavens, 2022). In fact, researcher Alan Luks (2001) found that people who help others are 10 times more likely to be in good health.
Today, more people are reaching out in their communities with their own active choices. As I was writing this, a neighbor posted on Nextdoor that she’d be retiring soon and asked for recommendations for local volunteer opportunities.
What about you? If you’re in the second half of life, how can you redefine this season for yourself, find greater purpose, and make active choices about the shape of your life now and in the days to come?
This post is for informational purposes and should not substitute for psychotherapy with a qualified professional.
© 2026 Diane Dreher, All Rights Reserved.
Ariji, H., Ahmad, I., Shirayama, Y., Okamoto, M., Taimur, H., & Yuasa, M. (2025). Correlates of Purpose in Life and Their Potential Role in Successful Aging Among Older Adults in Rural Japan. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15(12), 250. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15120250
Berns-Zare, I. (2025). You’re not too old and it’s not too late: Weekly practices for meaning, mindfulness, & new possibilities at midlife and beyond. Hollister, CA: MSI Press.
Catalano, A., Gilgrease, G. W., Macciotta, A., Milani, L., Aimaretti, G., Torbica, A., Sciascia, S., Ricceri, F. (2025, December). Clarifying healthy aging: building a common language for policy innovation within the Age-It Research Program, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 80(2), S201–S211. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf209
Cregg, D.R., & Cheavens, J. S.(2022). Healing through helping: An experimental investigation of kindness, social activities, and reappraisal as well-being interventions. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18 (6), 924-941.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.
Harvey, A. R. (2026, January 9). Honoring the life of Betty Reid Soskin, nation’s eldest park ranger. Oakland Voices. https://oaklandvoices.us/2026/01/09/betty-reid-soskin-remembered/
Levy, B. R., & Slade, M. D. (2026). Aging Redefined: Cognitive and Physical Improvement with Positive Age Beliefs. Geriatrics, 11(2), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics11020028
Luchetti, M., Terracciano, A., Stephan, Y., & Sutin, A. R. (2016). Personality and cognitive decline in older adults: Data from a longitudinal sample and meta-analysis. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 71(3), 591-601
Luks, A. (2001). The healing power of doing good: the health and spiritual benefits of helping others. New York, NY: iUniverse.
Staudinger, U. M. (2020). The positive plasticity of adult development: Potential for the 21st century. American Psychologist, 75(4), 540-553.
World Health Organization (2025, October 1) Aging and Health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
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