Book
Aging Well (George Vaillant)
Last updated 2026-07-02· Last reviewed 2026-07-02· 1 min read
Reviewed by the Ultimate Longevity Bible editorial team. Educational reference — not medical advice. See disclaimer.
About the book
Vaillant led the Harvard Study for decades. "Aging Well" (2002) is the mid-career synthesis of what predicts flourishing in later life across this uniquely long cohort.
Key claims
- Relationships are the strongest predictor of late-life flourishing.
- Mature psychological defences (altruism, humour, sublimation) predict well-being far better than "success".
- Alcoholism and depression are the major destroyers of aging trajectory.
- Adaptation — how one responds to inevitable losses — matters more than absence of loss.
Why it belongs on a longevity reading list
Balances the biomedical framing that dominates modern longevity discussion. Adds the psychosocial dimension that the numeric-biomarker approach can miss.