MIT Longevity Expert: Do These 3 Things Now to Stay Young, Live Longer, & Keep Doing What You Love

**Mel Robbins** (0:00)
Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to The Mel Robbins Podcast.
You and your loved ones are probably going to live a lot longer than you think.
But right now, there's so much noise about longevity, biohacking, anti-aging, reversing this, optimizing that. But can we be honest with each other? Would you want to live to 100 if you are in horrible health? If it's painful to just get through the day, of course not. That's why today's conversation with an extraordinary expert from MIT, it's not about adding more years to your life, it's about adding more life to your years. We're going to talk today about whether your life as you age stays big and exciting and fulfilling and meaningful, or your life starts to shrink. We're also going to talk about what to do when you have people in your life, your parents, grandparents, loved ones, and you see their quality of life getting worse.
Our extraordinary expert is Dr. Joseph Coughlin. He's the Director of the MIT AgeLab, where they study what longer lives look like, and he is here in our Boston studios today to give you the simple shifts and all of this fascinating research that's going to do so much for you and your family. First of all, it's going to protect your freedom and your independence as you age, because Dr. Coughlin says, based on the research, the choices you're making right now, yes, you and your 20s, in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, they shape what the rest of your life is going to feel like. Dr. Coughlin also says there are three forces that quietly wear you down and chip away at your independence, and he will share what you can do to make sure that they don't. He's also got amazing research back advice for caregivers. I'm talking children of aging, parents, and grandparents, and the things that you really need to hear that are going to work. Very specific ways in particular, that Dr. Coughlin wants you to think about caregiving. He's going to give you specific ways to approach the conversation with your family members that will reshape how you look at aging. Dr. Coughlin also has three questions that you must ask yourself, that will fundamentally change how you see and design your future. This is a conversation I really want you to share with your siblings, with your parents, with your grandparents, with your adult kids, with your friends. I cannot wait for you to experience it and meet Dr. Coughlin.
Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to The Mel Robbins Podcast. I am thrilled about our conversation today. It's always such an honor to be together and to spend this time with you. And if you're a new listener. Or you're here because somebody shared this with you. This is one of those episodes that you will be sharing with people in your family. It's that and It's so important. I just want to take a moment and welcome you personally to The Mel Robbins Podcast family. Today, you and I are learning how to stay strong, sharp and independent for a hundred years with the number one longevity expert, Dr. Joseph Coughlin, who founded and leads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, where he and his extraordinary team of researchers study how longer lives are transforming the way people work, retire, plan and live. And he's here to tell you based on the research, what it takes to prepare for a hundred good, juicy, awesome years because you deserve that. Dr. Coughlin is a researcher, a professor in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and an advisor to major corporations and institutions around the world. He has advised the World Economic Forum, and he has also served on the advisory committees for the US government and multiple federal agencies and sitting presidents. The Wall Street Journal named him one of America's 12 pioneers, inventing the future of retirement and aging. And if you thought that was enough, Dr. Coughlin has also authored over 250 academic publications on aging, longevity, and demographic change, and the best-selling book, The Longevity Economy. So please help me welcome Dr. Joseph Coughlin to The Mel Robbins Podcast.

**Joseph Coughlin** (4:32)
It's great to be here, Mel. Thanks for having me.

**Mel Robbins** (4:34)
I am so thrilled that you took time out of your busy lab over at MIT to come here today, and I am excited about your research. I would love to have you begin by speaking directly to the person who's listening or watching right now. And tell me what could be different about my life if I take everything to heart that you're about to share and I apply it to my own life, and I really apply it to the people in my life that are getting older.