📖 How Brain Science Helps Overcome Depression in Older Adults – Book Review of Yuji Ikegaya

Depression in later life is often misunderstood as weakness, but neuroscience tells a different story. In “When Life Shakes, Read Brain Science,” Yuji Ikegaya shows how aging brains can adapt, and how small daily habits like sunlight, journaling, and conversation can help older adults overcome depression.

“Yuji Ikegaya’s When Life Shakes, Read Brain Science – Korean edition cover.”

 

I didn’t expect a book on neuroscience to feel this personal. But Ikegaya, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo, surprised me. His book isn’t written like a heavy academic text. Instead, it feels like a conversation — reminding me that depression in later life isn’t a flaw in character but a signal from the brain. And signals, he says, can be redirected.

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🧠 What I Learned from This Book

• Depression is not weakness. It stems from changes in brain circuits, not from lack of willpower.
• The brain can change at any age. Neuroplasticity continues even in our 60s and 70s.
• Small habits matter. Sunlight, light movement, journaling, and conversation truly reshape the brain.
• As Ikegaya bluntly writes: “It’s an ignorant illusion to think depression means weakness.”

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💡 A Passage That Stuck With Me

One part of the book really caught my attention:

“The belief that medicine will relieve pain can actually block the pain itself. The mind regulates even our sense of pain.”

I found this fascinating. It shows that our beliefs don’t just affect mood — they can even change how the body feels pain. That’s a powerful reminder that depression, too, is not a dead end but something the brain can process differently.

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🌿 Small Steps I Tried Myself

After finishing the book, I didn’t rush into big changes. Instead, I tried three small habits Ikegaya highlights:

1. 🌞 Morning light – Stepping outside for just 10 minutes of sun.
2. ✍️ Three-line journaling – Writing a few sentences about the day.
3. ☎️ One daily conversation – A short call with a friend or family member.

None of these are dramatic, but they are manageable. And science says these little shifts help the brain find balance.

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📊 Why It Matters for Aging

Studies suggest nearly one in three older adults experience depression at some point. Too often it’s dismissed as “just aging.” This book refuses that idea.
Ikegaya reminds us that depression is not the end of the story — it’s a signal from the brain. And signals can be redirected.

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🌸 Why This Book Stays With Me

Honestly, I didn’t expect much when I picked it up. But this book left me with hope: the brain doesn’t stop changing just because we get older.

 

If you or someone close to you is struggling with low mood in later life, this book is worth your time. It won’t hand you miracles, but it does offer realistic, science-backed steps to help the mind steady itself again. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.