During the 2000s, the number of people who say they are lonely has doubled and the number of suicides has gone up by 33% in the US. The recent COVID pandemic has only served to exacerbate these conditions. The one group that has fared better in terms of happiness and well-being is the elderly. To discover why maturity brings resilience and wisdom, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors about unearthing the innate goodness in all of us and why it should be shared with younger generations. Dr. Dilip Jeste describes the key tenets of his book, Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion, and What Makes Us Good and describes the importance of multi-generational families. Lama Palden Drolma shares principles from her book and meditation, Love on Every Breath: Tonglen Meditation for Transforming Pain Into Joy, and ways we can be compassionate even to those who challenge us. 

About Lisa’s guests:

Dilip Jeste, MD, is the senior associate dean for healthy aging and senior care, professor of psychiatry and neurosciences, and director of the Center for Healthy Aging at UC San Diego. He is the past president of the American Psychiatric Association. A neuropsychiatrist specializing in geriatric issues, Jeste has spent more than 20 years studying aspects of healthy aging and the neurobiological roots of wisdom.

Book: Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion, and What Makes Us Good

Lama Palden Drolma is the author of Love on Every Breath. A licensed psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, and coach, she has studied Buddhism in the Himalayas with some of the most preeminent Tibetan masters of the twentieth century. Following a traditional three-year retreat under his guidance, Kalu Rinpoche authorized her to become one of the first Western lamas. She subsequently founded the Sukhasiddhi Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist teaching center in Fairfax, California.

Book: Love on Every Breath: Tonglen Meditation for Transforming Pain Into Joy