Joyspan and Aging | Kerry Burnight, MD

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of 'joyspan' and how aging can deepen our identity rather than diminish it.

Many of us quietly accept the idea that our best self lives somewhere in the past — that youth is the ideal and aging is a slow erosion of who we really are. But what if getting older isn’t about losing our identity, but deepening it? What if the second half of life could be defined not by decline, but by “joyspan”—our capacity for meaning, connection, and contentment as we age? Our guest on this episode is gerontologist and author Kerry Burnight, PhD. As a professor at the University of Cali...

People in this episode

Hosts: Henry Bair, Tyler Johnson

Guest: Kerry Burnight

Topics covered

• aging
• identity
• joyspan
• gerontology
• meaning
• connection
• contentment

Keywords

• aging
• joyspan
• gerontologist
• Kerry Burnight
• identity
• meaning
• connection
• contentment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of California

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