Here’s a cheery thought: One day, you and everyone you love will be dead. Hopefully that day is later rather than sooner, but it’s probably on the way nonetheless.
But note that key word, “probably.” After all, science has already doubled the average human lifespan, and has discovered myriad steps we can take to live longer, healthier lives. So is it so absurd to think that we could, someday, learn how to live forever? Check out the five mind-boggling books below to decide for yourself.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer
By Steven Johnson
Extra Life celebrates the heroes of health and medicine too often ignored in popular history, exploring a revolution with immense public and personal consequences: the doubling of the human life span. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steven Johnson, in the Next Big Idea App
Beyond Longevity: A Plan for Healing Faster, Feeling Better, and Thriving at Any Age
By Jason Prall
New science updates the “blue zones” secrets to healthy longevity with a flexible, holistic approach that incorporates epigenetics, nutrition, and mental health. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jason Prall, in the Next Big Idea App
Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity
By Nicklas Brendborg
A molecular biologist pens a love letter to the immense power of nature, revealing how plants and animals have already unlocked the secrets to immortality—and the lessons they hold for us all. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicklas Brendborg, in the Next Big Idea App
Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep
By Russell Foster
An award-winning scientist brings decades of study to this journey through the circadian rhythms that dominate our days and nights, showing how the realities of 24/7 life disrupt the body clock and take a toll on sleep, mental health, and physical health. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Russell Foster, in the Next Big Idea App
The Age-Proof Brain: New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia
By Marc Milstein
Serious mental decline is not an inevitable part of aging. You can boost your short and long-term brain health and significantly lower the risk of dementia—if the right steps are taken now. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Marc Milstein, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
