The Power of Reading in Aging Gracefully

Reading books helps people gain humility by realizing their limited perspectives and thoughts, fostering self-reflection and understanding of oneself.

### The Importance of Reading Books for Continuous Growth and Self-Development
* 📚 Reading books doesn't make you arrogant; it can make you humble by revealing the **limitations of your thoughts and perspectives**.
* 🎂 As you age, it is crucial to **read more books** to avoid being trapped in your own experiences and **broaden your understanding of the world**.
* 🧠 Books help in forming a **basic understanding of oneself** and provide opportunities for **self-reflection**.
* 📖 "The most important change through books is the **further clarification and expansion of self-understanding**, and the **ability to judge the world grows**."
* 🤔 When making important decisions, it is essential to view situations from various perspectives and reflect on the **narrowness or biases of your viewpoint**.
* 🌱 The biggest difference between those who read a lot and those who don't is the **flexibility and openness of thinking** gained through reading.
* 📚 "Reading, thinking about how to get out of a fixed mindset, and making efforts to develop the **flexibility and openness of thoughts** can be the most important way to **improve abilities** through books."

Reading books doesn't make you arrogant; it can make you humble. Because through books, you can realize how small your thoughts are and that you were like a frog in a well. The secret to staying young even as you age is to constantly try to look at situations from various perspectives and have opportunities for self-reflection. Books provide these opportunities. The book I would like to recommend first is about why people in their 50s and 60s should read books and briefly discuss the reasons. I will also recommend three books that I personally like. As you age, you should read more books. As people age, they tend to get stuck in their own experiences, falling into the trap of experience. It is necessary to broaden the repertoire of personal experiences, and to do that, you need to read books. Through books, you can re-read the flow of the world and understand the thoughts of others more deeply.

What we actually need to encounter as we age is more fundamentally the understanding of ourselves. Basically, when we read books, a basic understanding of ourselves is formed. In the end, through books, we not only see other people's thoughts and the changes in the world, but also the thoughts of others and the changes in the world ultimately serve as materials to shape our own thoughts. Therefore, the most important change is the further clarification and expansion of understanding about ourselves, and also, the ability to judge the world grows through books. It is said that through books, we can achieve very important results, and thus, we should consider the opportunity to continuously grow through books not only for people in their 20s and 30s but also for those in their 50s, 60s, and even older generations. Reading books doesn't make you arrogant, but it can make you humble because you realize how small your thoughts are and how limited your perspective was.

If you can do it through books, you can see changes in the world through books. When you see changes in the world through books, you may experience cases where your thoughts go beyond the framework of imagination. Also, by listening to the stories of great thinkers and authors who are discussing many recent issues through books, you may experience realizing that your thoughts have been quite confined. There are really many intelligent people in the world, and the world is vast. When you come to know this, you can't help but become humble. Where do good decisions come from? First, you need to make accurate judgments about the situation, and second, you need to have a precise understanding of yourself. When these two aspects are balanced, you can make accurate judgments about the situation. Therefore, through reading, your analytical and comprehension skills about situations will improve, and your self-understanding will also increase. As a result, with a specific and comprehensive understanding of the situation and yourself, the possibility of making the right decision is increased. Therefore, we

When making important decisions, you should not rely solely on your limited experience. You should constantly try to view those situations from various perspectives and reflect on whether your viewpoint is narrow or biased. You need to have opportunities for self-reflection, and books provide that opportunity. The difference between people who read a lot and those who don't is not just about having more or less knowledge. I don't think that's the case. The biggest difference is that people who read a lot of books tend to have flexibility and openness in their thinking, while those who don't read much tend to have narrow-mindedness. Due to this narrow-mindedness, they speak a lot because they have something they want to say. They act as if they know everything, but they can behave as if they know everything because their range of thought is limited when looking at phenomena. Therefore, through books, what we need to make an effort on is...

I always have to think about how to get out of my fixed mindset, in other words, how to make the flexibility and openness of my thoughts. It can be the most important way to develop my abilities through books. I would like to recommend three books for the 50-60 age group. First, the book I want to recommend is Relationship Centered written by Clifford Nass, a professor in the Communication Department at Stanford University. The personal reason I started reading this book is that as I have been working, I have encountered many conflicts while working with other people. Through this process, I have also experienced psychological difficulties, and I realized that it is important to overcome them successfully. So, I thought that understanding the relationships between people is necessary, which led me to realize the importance of normalizing these relationships.

I think it was around the late 2000s when I started to understand relationships between people a little bit, and through that understanding, how to build teamwork in situations where I work with various people, how to successfully complete tasks, and how to manage my emotions well. The essence of relationships is that now we work with various people, even those with different personalities. In these situations, how can we communicate successfully and how can we overcome conflicts? When we work on something, there are times when we need to give compliments, but when things are not going well, we also need to address the issues. How can we deliver compliments and criticisms in a positive and constructive manner? Professor Nasra introduces these topics in an interesting way based on her research results. We often participate in after-work dinner cultures, so to speak.

To foster unity, we often have gatherings like company dinners. Is this kind of gathering effective? For it to be effective, two things need to be met. The first is homogeneity, and the second is interdependence. If these experiences can be fulfilled, such gatherings, known as company dinners, can help strengthen teamwork among team members. However, take a look at company dinners. How many opportunities are there to feel homogeneity and experiences of mutual trust and sharing through conversation must exist for interdependence? If you observe how much such gatherings enhance these experiences of interdependence, it seems not to be the case. In order to strengthen homogeneity and interdependence, we have also done a lot of activities like survival games. Since survival games create a sense of homogeneity, people can feel that and depend on each other through mutual trust and conversation.

In survival games, you can fail, so when two elements are met, you might think the survival game is okay, but that's not true. When a group that shared failure in a survival game fails, they cannot experience the positive sense of camaraderie, so it is ineffective. Another episode is about a new employee coming in. So when they come to report on their work results, we should praise what they did well and point out areas for improvement a bit harshly. At this time, whether to talk about praise or critical evaluation first can determine whether the unpleasant message can be delivered constructively or not. But usually, what we do is to talk about the areas for improvement first and then give praise. Why unpleasant.

Once you've talked about it, it's not good to try to change it. So, the person listening to this story is more likely to take the opportunity to think more seriously about what needs to be improved. Therefore, it's better to give compliments. So, if you talk about both compliments and points to improve at the same time, what should you talk about first? It's better to talk about what you did well first. Like, You did a great job on this. Then, you should suggest focusing on improvements for the future. Research results show that when you praise and point out areas for improvement simultaneously, overall work abilities and results can improve. This book contains the essence of improving work abilities and results. In our work life, as we meet various people, it's important to understand and positively transform our relationships. In that process, if we want to gain the strength to protect ourselves, I recommend reading this book, The Essence of Relationships. I also recommend another book from Stanford University's psychology department.

This is the Marshmallow Test by Professor Walter Mischel. When I look at this book, I realize that I also have a quite impulsive nature when I do something, and how should I understand this as childlike impulsivity. Also, we often talk about self-control. I thought I should understand where this self-control starts from, so I personally read this book called the Marshmallow Test. When you hear about the Marshmallow Test, you might think of stories about preschoolers or young children, but it's not. There are many studies targeting adults as well. Walter Mischel has conducted various studies not only on children but also on adults, and in this book, he talks about how we should understand this impulsivity and how we can improve self-control. The book discusses many cases related to impulsivity in our daily lives.

Many times, we end up giving up on big results that we can look forward to because of small results we see in front of us. For example, we may think we will quit smoking, but we often see ourselves not being able to quit. In reality, smoking may help relieve stress in the moment, but if lung problems arise later, we will have to pay a big price. When we save money, we can live comfortably after retirement. Some people say that they know people who just buy things they want without hesitation. Why do these things happen? We need to think about it. Especially, there are incidents that we don't understand. In particular, in episodes mentioned in books, there are famous people who make impulsive actions that we cannot understand.

The mentioned cases are about former U.S. President Bill Clinton and people in their 50s and 60s who enjoy golf. You must know that they both have been involved in sex scandals. As a president, his authority crumbled. When Tiger Woods, as a professional golfer, faced a scandal, his authority completely collapsed. Why did these things happen? Was it because they couldn't resist temptation, or because they wanted to enjoy that temptation? The answer in this book is the latter. It's not that they couldn't resist temptation, but rather, when they think they are powerful, they develop a fantasy about their abilities. What is that fantasy? It's the belief that they can control everything, do things others can't, and since they can control everything, it won't be a problem. It's not being able to objectively look at themselves, rationalizing their impulses.

It's scary. This is what celebrities do, actions that we don't understand when we see them from the outside. When we ask why we give in to impulses, the temptation itself is so strong that we can see it as us giving in to impulses. However, sometimes it can lead to a wrong understanding of ourselves, resulting in a kind of wrong decision-making. This book deals with the idea that through various episodes like this, we can think about how to understand our impulses and what efforts we need to make to overcome these issues. It might be a good opportunity to think about these things. People often think they can control everything, but that's impossible. And to protect ourselves from the temptations that bring about impulses, we need to realize that we are weak beings. No matter how much we resist impulses or succumb to them.

It is a being that can have the fantasy of overcoming impulses, but is it possible with just that understanding? No, it's not. You need to establish principles to rigorously manage your surroundings. It may sound a bit strict, but in order to develop self-restraint to overcome impulses, you need to establish principles in your life. You should carry those principles and constantly self-check whether the actions you are taking right now violate those principles or not. That becomes a way to keep oneself in check. In one of the stories from the marshmallow test, let me tell you one more thing. I talked about the story of temptation, but one suggestion in the book is to put a picture of your grandchildren in your wallet and carry it around. Then, every time you open your wallet and see the faces of your grandchildren, you unconsciously try to restrain yourself from impulsive actions for your own sake. Why save that money and whom will you give it to?

Oh, let's give our grandchildren something delicious and buy them books. Oh, right, let's not buy unnecessary clothes. When we visit during the holidays, we should give them pocket money, so they can manage the money they have in a more positive way. By doing so, they can control their impulses. How about putting a picture or something that can help you control your impulses in your wallets? I suggest this idea. Lastly, the book I would like to recommend is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. This book shows through various studies how biases, emotions, and other factors that individuals have affect decision-making and behavior in our lives. The reason I started reading this book about thinking is actually because I had the opportunity to hear Kahneman's speech in Europe in 2002.

I thought I should look into the research on children, so I started thinking about this and later a book on this topic was published, which I ended up reading. When we make various decisions, sometimes emotions influence our decisions. Also, our decisions are often limited by our own experiences. We tend to make decisions based only on our limited experiences without listening to others. So, I felt that I need to understand how emotions and limited experiences affect the decision-making process. This led me to read this book. While I used to think that I make decisions rationally, in many cases, decisions are made more by emotions, biases, and limited experiences. The book gives examples of decisions made based on emotions, such as the case of the dictator game and the ultimatum game.

For those who are familiar, you may know what this ultimatum game is, but for those who don't know, let me briefly introduce it. In this game, two people participate in a study. For example, they are asked to divide 100,000 won between them. One person plays the role of limiting how the 100,000 won will be divided, and the other person plays the role of deciding whether to accept that limitation or not. When the proposer suggests dividing the 100,000 won in a 5:5 ratio or an 8:2 ratio, if the responder agrees, they can split it that way. But if the responder disagrees, they create a condition where both parties won't receive anything. In this case, when the proposer limits the amount to be received in a 5:5 or 6:4 ratio, it is usually accepted. However, sometimes the proposer suggests a 7:3 ratio. Why is that? If the responder disagrees, the proposer won't get 7 either, so they suggest a 7:3 ratio.

Even if I can't bring 30,000 won myself, it's a rational decision to take at least 30,000 won rather than going empty-handed, so I will accept it. I propose with a ratio of 7 to 3. At this point, many people decide that the decision of the acceptor is a rational decision. By rejecting, I choose to give up the 30,000 won I can have. It's a decision based on emotions, not a rational decision. Why is it a decision based on emotions? In reality, since I won't take it, you shouldn't take it either. It can be said to be a decision like you die, I die. In this way, when we make decisions in various lives, it is important to know that emotions or personal biases from limited experiences have a greater impact than rationality. Knowing this is important, and one must understand oneself in order to make decisions correctly.

It is quite important to understand through this book the decision-making process or how our emotions and biases influence us when we have to make judgments and take action, because we can judge and act based on it. Studying, literature, and reading are actually the same thing. Why are they the same? It's because they all have the latent ability. These important friends in developing that latent ability. Through studying, the power of one's thoughts, and through reading, the power of thinking, the experience of questioning is the same. When we look at the process of expanding and enhancing through various experiences of thinking based on one's experiences, we should never neglect the effort of wanting to grow. Even as we age, the secret to not aging is not neglecting the effort of wanting to grow, I would like to emphasize.

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책과삶

The Transformative Power of Reading Books

Reading books can bring humility by expanding perspectives and deepening self-understanding, especially for older adults.

Books provide the opportunity for self-reflection and a broader range of experiences, ultimately leading to the ability to make better decisions.

The habit of reading is linked to having a more open and flexible mind, while not reading can result in narrow-mindedness and limited thinking.

Fostering Flexibility and Openness of Thought: Book Recommendations for the 50-60 Age Group

"Relationship Centered" by Clifford Nass is recommended for understanding and normalizing relationships between people in the workplace, including how to build teamwork, manage emotions, and effectively communicate compliments and criticisms.

The book explores the effectiveness of after-work gatherings like company dinners in strengthening teamwork, highlighting the importance of homogeneity and interdependence, and it also discusses the use of activities like survival games to create a sense of unity and mutual trust.

The Impact of Praise and Criticism in Survival Games and the Workplace

Praise and criticism in survival games can impact the sense of camaraderie among failing groups.

In the workplace, the order of delivering praise and criticism can determine how constructively the message is received.

Research shows that offering praise and pointing out areas for improvement simultaneously can enhance overall work abilities and results.

The Power of Temptation: Understanding Impulsive Behavior

Temptation can lead to impulsive decision-making, as seen in the cases of Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods.

The book argues that the root of this behavior is not a lack of resistance, but a fantasy of being able to control everything.

It emphasizes the need to understand our impulses and recognize our own vulnerability in order to make better decisions.

Overcoming Impulses: The Power of Principles and Self-Restraint

Understanding alone is not enough to overcome impulses; principles are crucial for rigorous self-management.

One strategy is to constantly self-check actions against established principles.

Another effective method is to use visual cues, like carrying a picture of grandchildren, to unconsciously restrain impulsive actions.

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman is recommended for its insights into how emotions and biases impact decision-making, challenging the idea of purely rational choices.

The Ultimatum Game and the Influence of Emotions on Decision-Making

The ultimatum game involves one person proposing how to divide a sum of money, and the other person deciding whether to accept the proposal or not.

A 7:3 ratio is sometimes chosen because the proposer believes the responder will accept, rather than walk away with nothing, showing how emotions can impact decisions.

The passage concludes that understanding the influence of emotions and biases on decision-making is crucial, comparing it to the importance of studying and reading in developing one's latent ability for critical thinking and growth.