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Growing older may bring with it some unhappy physical developments, but when it comes to happiness, age seems to beat youth by a substantial margin. Generally speaking, the older you are, the happier you are, says a new study published in the April 2008 issue of American Sociological Review.
The University of Chicago’s General Social Survey has conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,500 to 3,000 people every year or two from 1972 to 2004. Subjects were asked: "Taken all together, how would you say things are these days? Would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy or not too happy?" When researchers looked at the results, they found that happiness, on average, increased over time. Somewhat surprisingly, it even rose among seniors as they began dealing with their own declining health and the deaths of friends and family.
While the oldest survey subjects claimed to be the happiest, the youngest fared the worst. Less than one third of all 18-year-old men and women said they were "very happy.”
Baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—reported being less happy than older subjects. "This is probably due to the fact that the generation as a group was so large, and their expectations were so great, that not everyone in the group could get what he or she wanted as they aged due to competition for opportunities," lead research Yang Yang said. "This could lead to disappointment that could undermine happiness."
The good news for boomers: just wait. Your happiness level may still rise. Just ask your elders.
SOURCES: American Sociological Review; National Library of Medicine
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06/08
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