7 Reasons Why The Second Half Of Your Life Is Better Than Your First
1 . We are happier. The happiest people, of any age, are 58-years-old, according to a Daily Mail survey. That’s because they are “the highest percentage of people (who) were happy with the balance of work and leisure, as well as feeling good about their lifestyle.”
Then, in a recent survey of more than 1,500 San Diego residents aged 21 to 99, “researchers report that people in their 20s were the most stressed out and depressed, while those in their 90s were the most content,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
When it comes to well-being, on a scale of 1-10, as people age, our well-being quotient rises with our age, climbing to its highest levels when we reach our 80s and 90s, according to Nielsen.
2. We know more.
Ever wonder why older people’s brains are slower than younger folks? It’s simple, really, according to researchers at Tübingen University in Germany: They know more so they have more to process. “The human brain works slower in old age but only because we have stored more information over time,” lead researcher Dr. Michael Ramscar asserts.
3. We are not bothered by life’s little things.
We just don’t let things get to us nearly as much in our second half of life versus our first. That’s because we get that life’s little things are just that -little- and that the big picture is, and should be, positive. Don’t believe me?
In a 2015 study done by the National Institute of Mental Health, 10.3 percent of adults ages 18-29 experienced a major depression episode. For those 26 to 49, it dropped to 7.5 per cent. And for adults 50 and over, it plummeted to 4.8 per cent, more than half that of the 18-29ers.
4. We have better sex.
Gail Sheehy, in her book Sex and the Seasoned Woman wrote the following: “The middle years, between 50 and 65, constitute the apex of adult life... for women, the passage to be made is from pleasing to mastery.” The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour discovered that 71 per cent of 50-somethings surveyed — higher than any other age group — said their last sexual experience resulted in an orgasm.
5. We have more money to do stuff. Old money means just that: Older
folks just have more money than younger folks, generally. Why? They’ve had time to save more over a lot longer period of time.
If you’re over 62, your odds of having at least $1 million in net wealth (your total assets minus your total debt) are relatively achievable — about 1 in 7,” according to The Washington Post.
6. We do what we want. Those of us still in the working world spend seven hours, or more, each day, working. But if you are lucky enough to be able to retire, then “people ages 65 to 74 spend an average of about seven hours per day on leisure activities,” according to the American Time Use Survey. 7. We are more comfortable in our own skin. I don’t know of any age group of women more comfortable in their own skin than women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. A woman, at this age, is hitting her full stride, moving through life in total command of her body, mind and soul. Her career is going at full throttle. Kids? They are either out the door or soon on their way.
Who are these “Confident-in-herown-skin women” among us? They are, frankly, everywhere.
If you have any doubt, whatsoever, than take thee, any day, any time, to any SoulCycle, Pilates, yoga or CrossFit class. There, you will meet, more often than not, one of these Confidents who are not only leading the pack (churning those pedals or squatting their own weight), but who are often leading the class itself.
I know about this, first hand. I’ve dated ‘em. Take Nikki P. of New York City. She’s 54 and she works out — every single day. She looks half her age. And don’t take my word for it. Ask the bouncers who card her at bars. Or ask her daughter who steals her mom’s bikinis because they’re sexier than her own.