New book argues aging isn’t a straight line — “flicker stage” suggests people can shift their functional age
United States (High Desert News Online) – In Your Aging Advantage (2025), Stuart Kaplan and Marcus Riley introduce a “flicker stage” concept suggesting people can shift their functional or “feels-like” age through lifestyle, psychological and social triggers, challenging the idea that aging is strictly linear.
- New model: Kaplan and Riley propose a seven-stage aging model and highlight a temporary “flicker stage” when function may briefly improve.
- Functional vs. chronological: “Feels-like age” can diverge from birthdate and may be shifted by physical, psychological, social or environmental flicker triggers.
- Partial scientific context: Neuroscience and clinical studies on plasticity and sensory interventions offer supportive but incomplete evidence.
- Local implications: High Desert communities could leverage social, environmental and workplace strategies to help residents “age on pace.”
What Kaplan and Riley are saying
Authors Stuart Kaplan and Marcus Riley argue the long-held idea that aging is a steady, predictable decline tied only to your birthdate is incomplete. In Your Aging Advantage, they describe a “flicker stage” in which people may feel significantly younger for periods of time — then return to feeling their chronological age — and emphasize those shifts are not necessarily permanent.
Marcus Riley told Fox News that
“healthier aging involves flickering back to a younger state”
and said people can identify personal flicker triggers — physical, psychological, social or environmental changes — that help reset their pace. Kaplan uses a weather analogy: chronological age is like the air temperature; lived or functional age is how it feels, accounting for humidity and other factors.
The authors suggest focusing on aging on pace — choosing whether to keep working, pursue new interests or change daily habits — rather than treating age 65 as an inevitable point of decline. The segment promoting the book is available as the Fox News segment.
Scientific context: supportive findings — and limits
The “flicker stage” is a conceptual model promoted by the book rather than an established term validated in aging research. That said, recent neuroscience and clinical work show human aging is not strictly linear and that interventions can change function — sometimes quickly and transiently.
Brain plasticity and non-linear patterns
A 2024 study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience — spontaneous blinking and brain health study (2024) examined spontaneous blinking and brain activity across ages and found non-linear patterns of brain oscillations tied to awareness and cognition. The work suggests some brain features do not simply decline with age and can show complex changes over time.
Sensory interventions and cognitive effects
Early clinical work on sensory “flicker” — such as 40 Hz light stimulation — has produced findings that may be relevant. A 2025 paper in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics — 40 Hz visual light flicker and cognitive effects (2025) reported that 40 Hz visual light flicker attenuated anesthesia-related cognitive decline in a study setting, opening conversation about sensory-based strategies to affect brain function.
Broader perspective on progress in longevity and function
Commentators such as Steven Pinker have highlighted long-term improvements in public health and lifespan, challenging fatalistic ideas about inevitable decline. See Steven Pinker — Enlightenment Now (context on progress) for broader context.
None of these studies proves a formal “flicker stage” as Kaplan and Riley describe it. Their model draws on clinical findings and public-health optimism to make an accessible case that lifestyle and mindset matter. Academic validation — randomized controlled trials measuring “flicker” episodes or a standardized metric for “feels-like age” — is not yet available.
What the research suggests: practical actions
Research and clinical experience point to interventions that can boost function and well-being, sometimes quickly: physical activity, social engagement, cognitive stimulation and environmental change. These are consistent with Kaplan and Riley’s emphasis on identifying personal flicker triggers.
- Physical: Exercise programs, walking groups, and accessible classes.
- Social: Community hubs, volunteer programs, faith-based groups and veteran support to reduce isolation.
- Cognitive/environmental: Stimulation, novel experiences, and safe outdoor activity times in hot climates.
Claims, caveats and evidence gaps
- Claim: Functional age can shift and sometimes reverse. Evidence: Supported by studies showing plasticity and short-term improvements after targeted interventions, but not by a standardized “flicker stage” model.
- Claim: People can “flicker back” to a younger state via lifestyle changes. Evidence: Behavioral and clinical studies support benefits of exercise, social connection and cognitive training; long-term, system-wide reversals lack rigorous validation.
- Caveat: Molecular markers of aging (telomeres, cellular damage) are not easily reversed by brief changes. The book frames “flicker” largely in functional and subjective terms.
Media coverage and public reception
Your Aging Advantage has been promoted in health and lifestyle outlets and featured in media appearances, including the Fox News segment. Coverage so far skews toward wellness audiences; major scientific journals and leading national news organizations had not broadly vetted or disputed the book’s stage model by May 2026, leaving it between popular self-help and emerging scientific ideas.
Implications for The High Desert, California
The High Desert region — including Victorville, Hesperia and Apple Valley — has older residents, veterans and many workers in logistics, manufacturing and services. Long commutes, limited local health resources and an arid environment shape daily life and the feasibility of interventions.
Economic and social context
Local planners could incorporate flicker-oriented programs into preventive care and workforce planning. Emphasizing practical, self-reliant approaches that enable older adults to remain productive aligns with local economic and cultural priorities.
Health care and access
Local clinics, community centers and the Desert Healthcare District could offer accessible exercise classes, senior social programming and telehealth. Mobile services and partnerships with nonprofits may address provider shortages and transportation barriers.
Work and retirement norms
Kaplan and Riley push back on a rigid retirement age. In the High Desert, flexible retirement options, phased work programs, retraining and age-friendly workplace adjustments can help residents “age on pace.”
Social connection and mental health
For a region with dispersed neighborhoods and long commutes, investing in community hubs, volunteer opportunities and veteran support groups can strengthen social ties and potentially trigger functional improvements.
Lifestyle and environment
The High Desert offers outdoor activities that can serve as physical flicker triggers (walking groups, outdoor fitness), but heat and air-quality concerns require planning for safe activity times and shaded public spaces.
Cultural fit for moderate conservatives
The flicker-stage emphasis on personal responsibility, productivity and practical interventions may resonate with moderate conservative readers. Framing programs as ways to help residents remain self-sufficient and active can broaden support.
Sources and further reading
- Fox News segment featuring discussion of the flicker method and interviews with the authors
- Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience — spontaneous blinking and brain health study (2024)
- CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics — 40 Hz visual light flicker and cognitive effects (2025)
- Steven Pinker — Enlightenment Now (context on progress in health and longevity)
Reporting note: Your Aging Advantage is a 2025 title promoted in media interviews by Stuart Kaplan and Marcus Riley. The “flicker stage” is their conceptual term; while scientific work supports the idea that function can improve with targeted interventions, the formal stage model awaits peer-reviewed validation.
