On Creativity, Illness, and Aging

Abstract

The experience of aging remains uncharted for many. For Gene Cohen, a renowned expert on growing older and creative potential in later life, aging was a phenomenon he experienced not through the accumulation of chronological years but through the biological consequences of intense cancer treatment. This article describes Gene's views on aging from several perspectives: as a career choice, as an opportunity for positive brain behavior changes, and as a time for hope even in the face of certain loss. Above all, the article reinforces the importance of creativity, especially in later life.