The gerontologist and author<\/a> of \u201cJoyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life\u2019s Second Half\u201d<\/a> said this week that multiple studies confirm that older people can thrive if they focus on their whole being, not just on cholesterol, hormone levels, fierce cardio training and building muscle mass.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the literature shows us is that those who are able to maintain psychological well-being in later life are people who have proactively decided to continue to grow,\u201d said Burnight, 56, who worked for 18 years as a professor in the Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology division at UC Irvine.<\/p>\n Four steps toward living longer, better<\/p>\n Burnight has broken down the most important areas for successful aging into four broad categories:<\/p>\n \u2022 Grow. People must continue to try new things. That can mean anything from learning an instrument, to teaching, to volunteering, to taking a part-time job or joining a line-dancing group.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who maintain psychological well-being in later life are people who have proactively decided to continue to grow,\u201d Burnight said. \u201cAnd with continued growth is a recognition not only that we will not be silenced but we\u2019ll stop silencing ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Sipoo Shelene Hearring leads seniors in a Yang Style tai chi class at Los Angeles State Historic Park on Nov. 19, 2020. <\/p>\n (Al Seib \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n \u2022 Connect. Everyone should \u201cdiversify their social portfolio.\u201d By making friends in many age groups, people conjure up more interesting experiences. And, no matter how long they live, at least some of their friends will survive with them. The quality of people\u2019s social connections has more bearing on their longevity than factors like genetics, exercise and socioeconomic status, Burnight said.<\/p>\n \u2022 Adapt. \u201cHard things always come,\u201d Burnight said. Humans who have happier years in the second half of life are those who \u201chave the ability to take what life hands them, to feel it, lean into it, and then adapt to move forward using internal and external coping strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Give. Anyone can volunteer at a homeless shelter. Or pick up trash in a local park. Burnight describes a woman, close to 90, who she visits regularly in a group-living facility. The woman made a conscious decision to be the best listener she could be. Now employees and her fellow residents, all starved for attention, seek out the nonagenarian. She has become a quiet sensation, just by focusing on one simple thing.<\/p>\n Poking fun at the \u2018longevity bros\u2019<\/p>\n Burnight\u2019s book made the New York Times Bestseller list last summer. She\u2019s teaching at the University of Chicago\u2019s Leadership & Society Initiative<\/a>, which inspires \u201caccomplished leaders [to] live meaningful lives by activating their encore chapters for the good of society.\u201d And her Instagram posts \u2014 often video chats with her mother, Betty, at @The_Gerontologist \u2014 commonly draw thousands of likes.<\/p>\n Burnight pokes fun at long-life evangelists who obsess on fitness above all else, calling them \u201cthe longevity bros.\u201d She rails against the \u201cbillion-dollar, fear-based anti-aging industry that frames old as bad and longevity as a competitive sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnight is scheduled to be named by Time magazine this week to a list of 100 healthcare leaders. She plans to speak about what gets better with age and doesn\u2019t cost a thing. \u201cWe stop caring so much what others think of us,\u201d she wrote, in her prepared remarks. \u201cWe become less egocentric, more effective. We develop a deeper appreciation for connection. We gain humility. And we develop the kind of creative, adaptive problem-solving that society desperately needs right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Today\u2019s top stories Documents among the latest Epstein files touch on his ties with some well-known Southern Californians.<\/p>\n (Jon Elswick \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n Six L.A. power players who found themselves in the Epstein filesThe head of the L.A. 2028 Olympics committee. A director of big Hollywood hits. An NFL owner. A celebrity chef.They are among the boldface names from Los Angeles<\/a> who have emerged in the latest dump from the Epstein files.The L.A. cases are each unique in their own way, with some files illuminating events that occurred before the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislane Maxwell came to light.L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman\u2019s record may surprise youRaman\u2019s surprising last-minute entry into the L.A. mayor\u2019s race is prompting inevitable comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, another politician backed by the Democratic Socialists of America who recently was elected mayor of New York City.But Raman\u2019s record as a City Council member hasn\u2019t always aligned with the far left<\/a>.In fact, her stances on issues such as homelessness, transportation and protecting immigrants from the Trump administration are similar to those of her opponent and former ally, Mayor Karen Bass.Thousands of apartments set to take over empty office buildings with a new L.A. ordinanceLos Angeles officials just made it easier to convert empty commercial buildings to housing<\/a>, opening the door to the creation of thousands of new apartments across a city clamoring for housing.After years of struggling to find white-collar tenants for a gleaming office high-rise on the edge of downtown, developer Garrett Lee just began converting its office space into close to 700 apartments.What else is going onCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must-readOther must-readsFor your downtime Tommy Le opened his temporary coffee shop, dedicated to his late girlfriend Reinne Lim, in the corner of Open Gallery in Long Beach. He plans to move Reinne\u2019s Place to a permanent location this spring.<\/p>\n (Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inAnd finally … your photo of the day The stark solitude of California Highway 127.<\/p>\n (Josh Jackson)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s great photo is from Times contributor Josh Jackson on California Highway 127. During a recent road trip, he discovered the breathtaking wonders of going the long way<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![\"Sipoo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770820447_382_.jpeg\")
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Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n