People get happier as they grow older, according to new research, which claims our best years do not arrive until our late seventies and eighties.
Traditional wisdom states that the younger years are the best of our lives, with the milestone of 40 meaning we are "over the hill", reports the Daily Telegraph.
But in fact satisfaction and optimism steadily increase after middle age, easily eclipsing the earlier years and peaking as late as the eighties, according to scientists.
An easing of the responsibilities of middle age combined with maturity and the ability to focus on the things we enjoy combine to make old age far more enjoyable than one might expect.
This is greatly increased by having good health, a stable income and good relationships with family and friends, according to scientists.
Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology at University College London, said most people were "averagely happy" in their teens and twenties, declining until early middle age as they try to support a family and a career.
He added: "But then, from the mid-forties, people tend to become ever more cheerful and optimistic, perhaps reaching a maximum in their late seventies or eighties."
A survey of 341,000 people, published by the American National Academy of Sciences, found enjoyment of life dwindled throughout early adulthood but began increasing in the late forties, and continued to increase until reaching a peak at 85.
No comments:
Post a Comment