The Village Effect by Susan Pinker review – the science of friendship
Being sociable can lengthen your life – but there’s a risk of making it into a self-improvement chore
Sexual activity survey debunks myths concerning lives of older people
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing project questioning 6,201 men and women up to 90 hopes results will crush stereotypes
Fed up of your double chin? There could soon be an injection for it
It’s one of the curses of growing older, but now a US company hopes its new compound could be just the thing for those sick of sagging fat
The joy of being an older mother
Officially you are an ‘elderly primigravida’ after the age of 35, but with age comes wisdom – and a sense of humour
Why Grow Up? by Susan Neiman, and Juvenescence by Robert Pogue Harrison – review
We worship youth – and at the same time respond to idealism with the injunction: ‘Grow up!’ What do we really want?. By Josh Cohen
The perils of having an older parent
When Charles Lambert was born, his father was 64. After a childhood overshadowed by ill-health and old age, he cautions against late-life parenthood
Countdown to big birthdays: how it feels to be on the cusp
The big birthdays are meant to be the scariest, but new research shows that we take the year before them the hardest – having affairs or running marathons. Oliver Burkeman, 39, and others come clean about being on the cusp
Do doctors live longer than their patients?
Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts
Is chocolate good for you?
Luisa Dillner: A new survey suggests chocolate might help brain function in 50- to 70-year-olds. So, does a bar a day keep the doctor away?
Being Mortal review – a surgeon’s view of how we should end our days
Doctor and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande argues that we should focus less on prolonging life and more on making it meaningful, writes Geraldine Bedell