Joseph F. Coughlin
Director of the MIT AgeLab
Joseph F. Coughlin is director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab (http://agelab.mit.edu). His research explores how demographic change, technology and consumer behavior drive innovations in business and society. Coughlin teaches in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Sloan School's Advanced Management Program. He is author of the new book The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market (Public Affairs, 2017).
When IBM Chief Accessibility Officer Frances West sat down at a recent screening of “Gone Girl,” she immediately realized that something was wrong. In the opening credits, there were “names […]
Google’s self-driving car and the automobile industry’s related efforts are breathing life into the seven-plus decade dream of the automated highway, which was first introduced as a concept at the 1939 […]
Let me start by saying that I love this month’s Atlantic cover story, “The New Science of Old Age.” I’m not raising it up just to knock it down. The piece, […]
The word on the street is that Apple is set to announce a major foray into home automation next week at its annual developers conference. As noted by other analysts, […]
George Takei, AKA Mr. Sulu, beamed into the MIT AgeLab last week. Although Star Trek: The Original Series may be the source of his public prominence, he has long since translated […]
Recently, the New Republic published an alarming piece about the stifling ageism pervasive in Silicon Valley—especially the new Valley of startups, as distinguished from more venerable firms—which raised eyebrows all
The disruptive demographics of an aging society offers a growth opportunity for the senior housing industry. However, technology is also presenting new ways to enable older adults to stay in […]
The loudest and largest generation in history, the baby boomers, are older. Their numbers and needs will place unprecedented demands on aging services in a time of workforce shortages and […]
The number one retirement financial plan for the next generation of retirees is not simply saving or investing, but rather to work longer and through many of the years we […]
“I make hands,” the young man said nonchalantly. Standing in the middle of a crowd of robotics researchers and developers, he introduced himself. I must admit the phrase and the […]
Here is the big idea, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index Thanksgiving is one of the least stressful and happiest days of the year. Beyond good food – what about […]
China is a manufacturing powerhouse. However, the middle kingdom has a new manufacturing challenge – can it produce enough children to change a demographic destiny that may threaten its future […]
Retirement looks a lot like work today. Studies, surveys and individual behaviors indicate that the next wave of retirees will be reporting for work longer than they or their employers […]
On macro and micro levels, longer life is not working out. Almost all nations are aging and will confront the disruptive demographics of an aging society, some sooner than later. […]
A common perception is that ‘older people’ (whatever age that is) do not adopt technology as quickly as younger users. It appears some preferences may be ageless. Consider the e-book […]
Youth unemployment has reached crisis levels in several European countries: 39% in Italy, 55% in Spain, and 60% in Greece. Now, early retirement, a so-called economic fix that I’d hoped […]
It’s graduation season and young people everywhere are listening to speeches rife with promises of new beginnings. With one baby boomer turning 67 every seven to eight seconds, many older […]
It is happening…but as the quote often associated with discussions of innovation suggests, “the future is here, it is just not evenly distributed….” For years, I’ve predicted, promoted and pleaded […]
Associated Press reports that two Americans are somehow still receiving Civil War veterans’ benefits. Although I’m guessing that a good deal of the media coverage devoted to this discovery will […]
Cancer deaths in the US are down 20% since they peaked in 1991, a new American Cancer Association study reports. That’s very good news, no matter how you assess the data. […]
In most countries, if an elected official told older adults to “hurry up and die” in order to save the state money on their medical care, it would border on […]
How does nearly six decades of work sound? We have all read the promising stories – ‘60 is the new 30’. According to some observers, 60 year olds may be just […]
We all know that America (and everyone else in the world) is aging. Aging thus far has been a story of ‘more’. More older adults, the need for more services, […]
As anyone who’s been watching the presidential debate series knows, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid comprise some of today’s pivotal political talking points, even if it’s not always clear what […]
Today, I had the dubious pleasure of discovering that one of the research associates working at the MIT AgeLab has 1392 unread messages in his primary email inbox. 1392! As in, […]
It’s no secret that future disruptive demographic changes will have profound implications for the relationship between employers and employees. But what’s less well known is that some of those demographic […]
When societal change happens there is rarely a moment of thunderous applause. Real change is typically incremental and then one day a shift in attitudes or lifestyles is so apparent […]
Driving down the Massachusetts Turnpike I came up behind a small sporty coupe. What was striking even from a distance was the color. It was a neon green that I […]
The Supreme Court’s recent decision on healthcare reform put more than health policy on the public agenda – it triggered a recurring debate in the United States on the power […]
Most of us are fortunate enough to never have to ask where our food comes from. When we are young it just seems to materialize. A trip to the grocery […]