We are living longer than ever, so we may as well enjoy it, says Dr Kerry Burnight, a Californian expert on ageing whose new book unlocks the secrets to late-life wellbeing. In Part I, Paul Little spoke with Burnight about new thinking on how to live happier, not just longer.
In this edited extract from Joyspan: A Short Guide to Enjoying Your Long Life, Burnight explores core components to achieving psychological health.
Joyspan is the experience of psychological wellbeing and satisfaction in longevity. It is the response to the question: Why do you want to live longer? For what? For whom?
In a world obsessed with living longer, Joyspan is about living better. We’ve been missing a practical vocabulary and approach to maximising the quality of our long lives. Joyspan is a science-based “how-to” for creating a long life characterised by inner wellbeing. The goal is to live as long as possible with as much quality of life as possible.
Longevity is not just a number of years (lifespan). It’s not even the number of years lived in good health (healthspan). It’s how many years you enjoy living (joyspan).
How do years of life intersect with quality of life? Let’s think about it with a simple diagram (below). The “Years of Life” axis is divided into two categories: long life and short life; and the “Quality of Life” axis is divided into two categories: high wellbeing and low wellbeing. The resulting four quadrants are summarised below:
The length and quality of your life
Because we are interested in longevity, let’s focus on the upper squares of the quadrant, representing people with long lives. There are two options: (1) the upper left quadrant: a long life with low wellbeing; and (2) the upper right quadrant: a long life with high wellbeing. In other words, suffering or joyspan. That’s an easy one; you opt for the upper right quadrant, all day, every day. You opt for joyspan.
But how? What are the predictors of joyspan according to the research? Thousands of studies in the fields of gerontology, psychology, sociology, neuroscience, biology, epigenetics and philosophy have posed this question.
In her seminal 1989 paper, “Happiness Is Everything, or Is It?,” [US psychologist] Dr Carol Ryff laid the foundation for the Psychological Wellbeing model, offering a multidimensional perspective on what it means to live well beyond mere pleasure-seeking.
The Psychological Wellbeing model was influenced by existential, humanistic, and developmental psychology – particularly the work of Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, Abraham Maslow, and Viktor Frankl. It identifies six core components that predict positive functioning throughout life.
1. Autonomy: the ability to make independent choices and resist social pressures.
2. Environmental mastery: competence in managing everyday life tasks and challenges.
3. Personal growth: a continued openness to new experiences and development.
4. Positive relationships with others: developing deep, meaningful social connections.
5. Purpose in life: a sense of direction, meaning and future-oriented goals.
6. Self-acceptance: a realistic view of oneself, acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses.
The Psychological Wellbeing model has been tested extensively in projects such as the MIDUS (Midlife in the United States) survey and the Survey of Midlife Development in Japan. These studies focus on how wellbeing evolves across the course of a life, exploring the roles of life transitions, social roles and health changes. Findings confirm that even as physical health declines with age, many older adults report high levels of personal growth, purpose, and self-acceptance, suggesting resilience in psychological wellbeing.
This finding holds true in studies in other countries as well. For example, the international Survey of Midlife Development found cultural differences shaped certain aspects of wellbeing (for example, autonomy), but purpose, relationships and self-acceptance remained important across all contexts.
Taken together, thousands of studies from around the world confirm that psychological wellbeing is dynamic, meaning it can be changed, and it can be maintained or even enhanced with age, especially when individuals stay engaged, maintain social connections and find new sources of meaning.
Creative adaptability
The joyspan model builds on the foundation of the Psychological Wellbeing model, with an additional element shown to predict wellbeing in later life: adaptability. Developed by Israeli researcher Dr Hod Orkibi, the creative adaptability framework is the capacity to generate cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses to changing and stressful situations. His research reveals the power of adaptability in older adults to foster psychological flexibility and wellbeing in later life. As we grow older, adaptability helps us manage transitions like retirement or health challenges through proactive engagement and emotional regulation. Findings reveal that older adults with higher adaptability skills experience greater resilience and personal growth.
To sum up, people with long joyspans actively commit to four critical actions:
■ Grow: They continue to explore and expand.
■ Connect: They put time into new and existing relationships.
■ Adapt: They adjust to changing and challenging situations.
■ Give: They share themselves.
Each of these elements is non-negotiable for wellbeing in longevity, and you can improve in each area.
Joyspan: A Short Guide to Enjoying Your Long life, by Dr Kerry Burnight (Hachette, $39.99).