Attitudes about Aging

Attitudes about Aging

In a recent interview with The Village Chicago, I mentioned that our Sounds Good Choir concerts put a public face on what it looks like to be an older adult, and that that face contradicts some of our cultural stereotypes on aging. When people see us performing...
The Benefits of Gratitude

The Benefits of Gratitude

I hadn’t thought about Dr. Robert Emmons in a long time, but a few weeks ago, a New York Times article referred to a psychology colleague who is doing some fascinating research on the topic of gratitude. Emmons, a social psychologist at the University of...
Preventing Dementia

Preventing Dementia

Jonathan and I were recently in a meeting with the chairpersons of the departments of Neurology from both the University of Chicago and Northwestern medical centers. We were struck by the fact that, although they mentioned a future for medication, both of their...
Purpose in Life

Purpose in Life

In an undergraduate Psychology class, I read a little book by Victor Frankl entitled, Man’s Search for Meaning. It’s one of those books that had an impact on me at the time, and an even greater impact on my work as a clinical psychologist.  The author was an Austrian...
Kindness

Kindness

This is one of my two favorite t-shirts (the other has a dog and a cat sitting side-by side, under the word “Peace”).  When I wear it, it gets its share of smiles and even the occasional comment – usually something like “Yeah, random acts of kindness!”.   But no one...