People around the world collectively spend billions of dollars every year about products and services designed to extend their life. But if they put all that money, time and energy into chasing longevity – only to live those extra years and realize they don't quite like them – what's the point?
This is the dilemma that inspired Dr. Kerry Burnite, a geriatrician who has treated thousands of older patients, to coin the term “joy span”—what she considers the third piece of the longevity puzzle, along with “life span” (how many years you live) and “health span” (how many of them you spend in good health). Joyspan, as the name suggests, describes the feeling of well-being and satisfaction in longevity.
“Watching all the suffering was what motivated me,” Burnite says. “For the first 20 years of my career, I kept seeing lonely people hunched over in wheelchairs who said, 'I have no purpose in my life.'
At first she assumed that this was an inevitable result of reaching old age. Then she realized that, in fact, a large body of research was shedding light on why some people thrive in old age and others don't. In his book 2025 Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in the Second Half of LifeBurnite gives tips on how to achieve this better way of aging.
As part of TIME's series of interviews with leaders in the longevity field, we sat down with Bernite to talk about what the new “old age” might look like.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
When should people start thinking about developing their joy?
Joyspan is for anyone who is aging, and guess who it is? Every. The sooner you start, the better. What improves your life from 83 to 84 is the same thing that improves your life from 23 to 24.
By focusing on the number of years, we have lost sight of the quality. Joyspan focuses on the quality of your long life – and that's not just an accident; it's not just genes. It is these small everyday habits and attitudes that we adopt. We must build on aging and change the question of how No growing old, how to grow old energetically, beautifully, relevantly, with humor and pleasure.
This sounds like the million dollar question: how to do this?
This is very clear. Researchers group it into four areas: grow, connect, adapt and give back. These are all verbs because they all require effort. Just like with physical health, you don't just say, “Oh, this person was just lucky.” No, every day they chose activities that reduced their risk of heart disease and improved flexibility and agility, and as a result, physically changed the trajectory of their aging. In the same way, you can do these four things within yourself – and this is a lifelong practice.
Let's talk about each of these four actions. What does prioritizing growth look like as you age?
When we say things like, “I expect to grow, I will put effort into growing, and I will push myself to do hard things, uncomfortable things, new things, and fun things,” it makes you a different older person than an older person who says, “I can’t do anything anymore.” I can just stay in my house.”
Read more: 4 Science-Based Habits That Will Help You Live Longer
Ask yourself, “What am I doing right now that is growing?” It all starts with curiosity, like if you have the slightest inkling of the question, “What the hell is Bitcoin?” Or, “I wonder if I can do stand-up comedy or learn how to do makeup so I can do it for women with cancer and do their eyebrows.” The next step is to actually do these things. We constantly force children to do difficult things: “Have you ever jumped from a height? It's a pity.' As we get older, we stop doing this, so we need to get back into the habit of forcing ourselves to do something a little difficult.
Communication is another key to aging well. How can people get better at this?
People who excel at communication invest time in new and existing relationships. We need to be What a friend is someone who picks up the phone to call, who offers to take you to chemotherapy, who remembers that your father died five years ago on this day. People come to me and leave: “No one calls me, no one invites me anywhere.” I have nothing to look forward to.” I listen lovingly and then say, “Tell me about the invitations you extended.” Tell me about the people you wrote to. And every time they say: “Oh, shoot.”
At any age, we need to prove ourselves, even if in order to find our person we have to knock on five doors.
What does it mean to learn to adapt?
Adaptation means adapting to changing and complex situations. You will have to deal with difficult things, and when you have to do so, you can say, “I have a choice in how I feel about this.” How you are remembered in life has a lot to do with how you go about your difficult task, whatever it may be. I always think of the Henry Miller quote: “There is nothing wrong with life itself.” This is the ocean in which we swim, and we either adapt to it or sink to the bottom.” We can do this through coping strategies such as journaling, meditation, and practicing gratitude.
Read more: Revealing the secrets of life up to 100 years
This gratitude practice seems so simple, but it is actually proven in the literature. I see this over and over again where people wake up in the morning and say, “I have to do this, then I have a doctor’s appointment and it’s not right, and my daughter gets a divorce.” This is the opposite of that. You wake up in the morning and say: “I have a soft pillow.” I'll go downstairs and have some coffee. I'll call this person. I'm going to pet my cat.” And then you start to see things to be grateful for everywhere you look.
You've said that your favorite element of aging is giving back. Why is this the key to thriving in life?
When people give, they share themselves. I recommend setting a giving goal, such as one small act of kindness a day. Maybe you live next door to a single mother and tell her that during dinnertime you can come over and hold or entertain the children while she cooks. Then it becomes a habit and before you know it, you feel great because these acts of giving nourish you as much, if not more, than the person you are giving to.
Read more: Do you want to live longer? First find out how old you really are
I have a patient who is almost 100 years old and she is the best listener in the world. Everyone—her children, her nurses, her grandchildren—look forward to being with her because she is such an attentive listener. When I look at her I think, “Oh my God. Even if I have all these problems, I could be like her because she has something to give and she gives it.”
Joyspan not only makes you happier, but also healthier. What are some benefits?
This is good news: the same things that increase the duration of your joy also increase your life span and the span of your health. There are studies showing that the “giver’s high,” for example, reduces inflammation, which correlates with a healthier, longer life. And when exercise releases endorphins that make you feel better, it allows you to say, “Hmm. I think maybe I'll try to make a new friend.” All these arrows point in the same direction.
What message of hope do you want to convey to people?
My mother started this practice 20 years ago and I have seen her change the trajectory of her life. She is now 96. She lives alone in her home and is the best version of herself she has ever been. She wasn't always positive. She didn't always have ideal health habits. But these seemingly small changes changed her life.
She has congestive heart failure, had a knee replacement, and went through bankruptcy and her husband died. However, she is gorgeous, radiant and cheerful, and people can't get enough of her. And she is not unique. Millions of people do this, and it is possible for all of us, regardless of external circumstances. I want to normalize this so we can all recognize that this new longevity—this new old age—is different.
This article is part of TIME Longevity, an editorial platform dedicated to exploring how and why people live longer and what this means for individuals, institutions and the future of society. See other articles on this topic. Click here.
