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Wise

Finding Purpose, Meaning and Wisdom Beyond the Midpoint of Life
Brief Description
'Transformative . . . gripping . . . sincerely recommended' GUARDIAN'Frank Tallis is one of the most insightful psychologists of our time . . . Wise is for anyone, young or old, in search of happiness' JACK SYMES 'This is a rich and beautiful book' GWEN... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A book for everyone over 40, reflecting on where their life is going - by writer and clinical psychologist Dr Frank Tallis

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'Transformative . . . gripping . . . sincerely recommended' GUARDIAN

'Frank Tallis is one of the most insightful psychologists of our time . . . Wise is for anyone, young or old, in search of happiness' JACK SYMES

'This is a rich and beautiful book' GWEN ADSHEAD, author of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

We are living longer and our lifespan after the middle years continues to extend due to medical advances. But how do you age wisely? How do you remain psychologically healthy and fully engaged given the immense and daunting challenges of later life - accumulated regrets, loss, disappointments, physical deterioration, and mortality?

From ancient Greece to the 21st century, the greatest philosophers and psychologists have considered these questions, and remarkably, their opinions converge. There is a single essential task - integration - that once accomplished, equips us to cope with the many problems we are likely to encounter as we get older. What's more, their insights are supported by cutting-edge neuroscience. Exploring the common ground shared by the Stoics and the Existentialists, William James and CG Jung, Iain McGilchrist and Daniel Siegel, clinical psychologist Frank Tallis has written his own essential alternative to the standard self-help prescriptions.

Frank Tallis takes on such questions as how we can embrace and accept our mortality when our brains are hard-wired to resist it, how we can achieve meaning in our lives, and how we can understand the passage of time and make the most of it. It's immensely readable whilst also intelligent and thought-provoking.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349146232

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 February 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Abacus

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 335g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Dr Frank Tallis is a writer and clinical psychologist. His non-fiction books include The Incurable Romantic, The Act of Living and Mortal Secrets: Freud, Vienna and The Discovery of the Modern Mind, which was a book of the year in The Times. In the TLS William Boyd said 'Tallis' clear-eyed judicious analysis is the best I've read'. Tallis is also the author of the Liebermann Papers, a psychoanalytic detective series set in Freud's Vienna and adapted for television as the BBC drama Vienna Blood. He lives in London.

Also by Frank Tallis

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  • Mortal Secrets
    A lively and accessible portrait of a major figure - Sigmund Freud - and the unprecedented era of creativity that shaped his ideas. Some cities are like stars. When the conditions are right, they ignite, and they burn with such fierce intensity that they outshine all their rivals. From 1890 and through the early years of the 20th century, Vienna...
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  • The Act of Living
    Tallis writes with clarity and wit - Sebastian Faulks Science, technology, and Western liberal democracy have all had a dramatic impact on our quality of life. Compared to previous generations, we have unprecedented access to information, increased personal freedom, more material comforts, and more possessions. Yet, even before the shock of Covid-19, more people than ever before were reporting being...
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  • Mortal Secrets
    Like Sarah Bakewell's How to Live and Andrea Wulf's Magnificent Rebels, Mortal Secrets is a lively and accessible portrait of a major figure - Sigmund Freud - and the unprecedented era of creativity that shaped his ideas. Some cities are like stars. When the conditions are right, they ignite, and they burn with such fierce intensity that they outshine all...
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