Happy days: why it’s easier to be happy over 50
Science shows that your later years can be your greatest! Lizzy Dening explains why it’s easier to feel happy over 50
It’s easy to focus on health-related challenges as we age, but there’s an equally positive shift happening with the passing years – on mental wellbeing.
Getting older enables us to identify what’s really important, and not sweat the small stuff like we did when we were anxious teens or new parents. American research has proven that, for almost everyone, happiness increases with age, and there’s other evidence of mood boosts in later life too. Read on, smile, and pop a cork to our best years yet.
You’re better at looking on the bright side
If you can recall the mood swings that accompanied your teen years, you might remember that we often felt quite gloomy and uncertain. But the intervening years may have left you more likely to see the glass as half full. As you get older your perspective shifts, often helping you see the good in life. A study found that older people were more attentive to (and remembered more) positive information than younger participants, who tended to dwell on the negative. We might be wearing reading glasses now, but at least they’re rose-tinted.
And there’s more to come…
Get ready to feel even more life satisfaction as the years go by. A 2010 study of 400,000 participants found that those in their 20s onwards had moderate life satisfaction, which then dipped in their early 50s, and shot up around age 80!
In fact, from their 40s onwards, participants’ stress levels declined, with only 17 per cent reporting high stress in their 70s. Even better, researchers found this effect across the board, regardless of money or marital status. As Frank Sinatra once sang: the best is yet to come!
You get by with a little help from your friends...
We all know that good relationships are the cornerstone of happiness, and it’s been proven by American scientists that your friendships have more of an impact on your health and mood as you age. All the more reason to arrange a long phone call with a friend who makes you laugh – it could be saving you a trip to the doctor!
While it’s easy to compare your looks to your younger self, in actual fact you’re likely to feel better about yourself than ever before. An American study revealed that your self-esteem doesn’t actually peak until you’re aged 60-75. So, here’s to newfound confidence and making the most of every day.