Flourish As You Age

Comments? Send me a text message.In this final episode of our opening series on Flourishing, we explore the deeper dimensions of what it means to live a meaningful and well-lived life. Drawing from awe research, contemplative neuroscience, and classical philosophy, we reflect that flourishing is not a fixed state but an emergent, relational process—one shaped by attention, moral insight, and reverence for life itself.You’ll hear excerpts from Welcoming Wisdom: How Mature Minds Can Shape a Kinder, Wiser Future, including:A fresh take on awe as a catalyst for connection and transformationIain McGilchrist’s insights into the “sense of the sacred” as a mode of perceptionSocratic wisdom on the examined life and the moral core of flourishingA synthesis of ancient virtue ethics, modern psychology, and ecological well-beingThis episode concludes our foundational exploration of flourishing and sets the stage for the next series: The Mature Mind. Join us as we continue uncovering the unique capacities of aging minds to lead, imagine, and help shape a more compassionate world.Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.What does it mean to live a virtuous life—and how does virtue relate to human flourishing? In this episode, we explore the moral dimensions of flourishing through both Western and developmental lenses. Drawing on classical ideas from ancient philosophy, we ask whether virtue is grounded in reason, emotion, or something deeper. We focsu on the work of psychologist Darcia Narvaez, whose research suggests that our capacity for virtue is rooted in the benevolent care and emotional attunement we receive in early childhood. From Aristotle to affective neuroscience, this conversation invites you to reconsider how virtue emerges, why it matters, and how it shapes our ability to flourish in a complex world.Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.What does it really mean to flourish as we age? In this second episode of Flourish As You Age, host Michael C. Patterson draws from his forthcoming book, Welcoming Wisdom: How Mature Minds Can Shape a Kinder, Wiser Future, to explore timeless and evolving ideas about the good life—from Aristotle and the Stoics to Buddhist teachings and modern psychology. This  episode invites listeners to clarify what flourishing means to them—beyond comfort or achievement—and to consider how purpose, connection, and resilience shape a life worth living.Follow the Flourish As You Age podcasts.Subscribe to the Flourish As You Age newsletterSupport the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.In this inaugural episode of Flourish As You Age, host Michael Patterson introduces a new podcast series drawn from his forthcoming book, Welcoming Wisdom: How Mature Minds Can Shape a Kinder, Wiser Future. The episode offers an overview of the book’s foundational ideas—redefining what it means to flourish as we age, exploring the cognitive strengths of mature minds, and presenting the provocative hypothesis that we may be living on the edge of a Second Axial Age. Through science, story, and philosophical reflection, Patterson invites listeners into a new vision of aging as evolution—and a call to use our wisdom to guide humanity towards a better future.Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.When do we start aging?What is aging? What causes aging?These were some of the questions posed to aging experts (professionals, professors, graduate students) who were attending a conference on aging called “Systems Aging.” The big takeaway from the survey was that there is no consensus about what aging is. The experts disagree about the definition of aging, its causes, when it starts and what it would mean to be rejuvenated. The experts DO agree that aging is process of decline.  They also agree that this process of decline can be modulated; it can be accelerated or slowed down.  I believe the aging process can be slowed using the same levers used to promote brain health.Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.GLP-1 Drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, originally developed to treat diabetes, have been found to lower risk-factors for a broad-range of conditions that accelerate the aging process.  But there are also risk factors that need to be taken into account. The benefits of GLP-1 drugs include reduced risk of seizures, heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular concerns, suicide ideation, self-harm, bulimia and psychotic disorders. They decrease inflammation in the brain and reduce the risk of neurocognitive disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.The risks include gastrointesinal problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More concerning, there are rare cases of "paralysis of the stomach," and new information that GLP-1 drugs can have serious adverse effects on the pancreas and kidneys. If you plan to use GLP-1 drugs, do so with medical supervision and continue to monitor for signs of pancreatitis and abnormal kidney function. Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.In this episode I focus on how our socioeconomic ecosystems affect our ability to flourish - or, more to the point, how they makes it harder for us to flourish. Early this year, 2025, as the Trump administration took power, a group of politically diverse scholars published a Report Card on American Well-Being. On the one hand, the economy is doing great - for the wealthy. But by most other measures the nation is floundering. We are a wealthy nation, but an unhappy nation. By many of the measures of well-being (health and happiness) the United States is doing worse than many other rich nations, and there has been a downward trend in our well-being since the 1990s, when the tracking began.In 2021, medical anthropologist Daniel R. George and neuroscientist Peter Whitehouse wrote a provocative  and insightful book called American Dementia: Brain Health in an Unhealthy Society. They explored the political, economic, social and environmental factors that contribute to cognitive decline,  dementia and well-being. In this episode I revisit an interview I did with Danny George and focus on his insightful explanations of our "American Dementia."  Danny George is a professor of Humanities and Public Health Policy at Penn State University and he is acutely aware of America’s malaise. Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.What is aging? What do we mean when we say we are aging? In this episode, I'll discuss our paradoxical attitude towards aging. On the one hand age implies physical and mental decline and debility. On the other hand age implies wisdom and sagacity. I'll discuss the differences between Chronological and Biological Aging and Primary and Secondary Aging, And I'll discuss  the difference between "life expectancy" and "lifespan."We will also review how scientists determine biological age and why we now suffer from  "age-related diseases."Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.In the epilogue to his book, Achieving a Good Death, author Chris Palmer summarizes his thoughts on how we might reconceptualize our basic attitudes about the process of dying and death itself. Death tends to be a taboo subject, but death is a natural and inevitable part of life. It is death that gives meaning to life and makes it precious. Chris says that his goal is to have a long "healthspan," and then a "Niagra Falls end-of-life." He wants to stay healthy for as long as possible, then experience a short period of deterioration leading to death.   Chris and I discuss how old age can be a time to places less emphasis on doing and becoming and more emphasis on being. We hope this series of podcasts encourages you to become a student of your own end-of-life and helps you to prepare for the kind of death you want to have. Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress

Comments? Send me a text message.Taking steps to simplify our lives as we age has benefits not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones. In my ninth conversation with Chris palmer, author of Achieving a Good Death, we talk about simplifying, decluttering and minimalizing our physical environments. The wealth of possessions we have accumulated over the years often do nothing but distract us and clutter up our lives. By shedding unwanted and unused possessions we can reduce our  stress and give  more of our attention to the things that really matter. The same goes for mental clutter.  The more we can free ourselves from outdated and counter-productive concepts and beliefs, the easier it is to focus our mental attention on the aspects of life that help us to flourish. Decluttering our homes is also a wonderful gift to our love ones who will survive us. After we die we don't want to burden our loved ones with the onerous task of sorting through our lifetime of accumulated junk. Chris discusses how taking steps to declutter, simplify and minimalize before we die can help us and our loved ones to flourish. Support the showIf you want to support this work, click above, subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast, or sign up for the free Flourish As You Age newsletter for reviews of current research, reflections, updates, and special extras from my book-in-progress