Why Older People Are Happier

If you were to look at birthday cards for people over 40, you might think turning a year older is as miserable as getting shingles. Instead of expressing happiness, many birthday cards for middle-aged and older people convey sympathy or, worse, poke fun at the wrinkles, sagging body parts and other gravitational effects of spending more years on the planet. Ironically, a recent study cited in the UK Telegraph contradicts the dismal messages on these greeting cards: not only are older people happier than younger people, the age people reported being the happiest was 74!

There are many possible reasons why older people are happier than younger people. Here are a few theories:

Theory 1: Why older people are happier - Paradox of Well-Being

Although older people generally have more health problems than younger people, they seem to be less bothered by them. Psychologists call this ability to be happier than those who are objectively better off the "paradox of well-being." A group of University of Virginia researchers who looked at the relationship between happiness and aging theorized that even though many of the older people they studied had significant health conditions, they were able to rationalize that others had worse health problems than they did. Despite chronic pain or mobility challenges, they remained relatively positive about their situation, whereas younger people in relatively good health might stress out over a shin splint. Just as one could be miserable in a mansion or content in a cottage, the older people's perception of their circumstances were more important than the circumstances themselves.

Theory 2: Why older people are happier - "What, me worry?"

In a study cited by WebMD, researchers found that people over the age of 50 worry less than younger people. Winston Churchill explained the reason for this phenomenon when he said, "When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened." Like the old man, people realize as they age that most of the things they worried about when they were younger never materialized. Older people may also feel more confident about their ability to cope with potential misfortune.

Theory 3: Why older people are happier - No more keeping up with the Joneses

While younger people may wish they had a bigger house, better job or more beautiful spouse, older people tend to be happy with what they already have. University of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang speculated in the American Sociological Review that older people "have smaller discrepancies between aspiration and achievement, especially in the domains of material resources and social relationships, than their younger counterparts." Since many older people downsize their lives and expectations, the differences among older people as a group are smaller, and this diminished feeling of inferiority may result in greater happiness.

Long depicted by comedians as objects of pity, older people may be having the last laugh. The next time you find yourself feeling sorry for an older man or woman, save your sympathy. That older man or woman may be happier than you are.

Sources:

http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/old-and-happy-its-a-matter-of-attitude-4089/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7295954/We-are-happiest-at-74-says-new-report.html
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100518/people-happier-less-stressed-after-middle-age
http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=1336