I was surprised to realize recently that it’s been 10 years this month since I published Optimistic Aging: from Midlife to the Good Life. It’s been a delight to connect with those of you who’ve been learning alongside me, whether through reading the book or attending any of the many talks I’ve given on this subject in the past decade. As I continue to review the research on aging well, I’m glad to see that the core findings about sustaining wellbeing remain the same.

I recommend another recently published book with an optimistic aging outlook, Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half by Kerry Burnright. Pause for a moment and just take in the concept of Joyspan—such a great way to put it! There’s lots of discussion, including from me, about tending to our healthspan so it matches as closely as possible with our lifespan. But the idea of joyspan orients us to the most important aspect of flourishing with age, which is that we build long, satisfying lives.

In her book Joyspan, Dr. Burnright delves into four focal points for long-term joy:

• Grow – Adopting a growth mindset enables us to remain curious, willing to try new experiences and embrace lifelong learning.
• Connect ­– Long-term wellbeing requires us to tend to our existing relationships and build new friendships so that our minds are challenged, our hearts expand and our health is sustained.
• Adapt – Being flexible and willing to change with life’s twists and turns is a crucial skill to develop throughout life and especially with age.
• Give – Offering support, guidance and resources to others enables us to express our values and feel valued.

These four essential elements improve life at any age and set us up for long enjoyable lives.

Here’s another fun way to play with Joyspan: Joy Snacking. This is the practice of weaving small acts of enjoyment into our daily lives, including looking for everyday awe, enjoying music and discovering the joy that surrounds you. Plus, play with how you can orient to the list above and think of quick actions in each category. For example, for Grow you might spend 5 minutes playing with Duolingo to learn a few words in a new language. To Connect, you might send a text to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while to set up a visit or phone call. A quick Adapt action could be taking 2 minutes to slow your breathing and send kindness to an ailing part of your body. A quick Give action could be to offer a compliment or thanks to a store clerk while you’re on an errand. Point being, enhancing your Joyspan can be as simple as building easy Joy Snacks into your day-in-day-out life, which will make your life better now and for the duration. Win, win!