Happier As You Get Older?
Is anyone happy about aging? With aging comes wear and tear on the body. Our eyesight seems to get worse. We have less energy. Women go through menopause, men go through andropause. Is it possible to improve our happiness as we get older?
According to a recent survey of 2,000 people 65 and older nearly three-quarters (72%) of people feel younger than they are, with half saying they feel younger than 50-years-old.
The average person stops caring what others think of their age at 43, and over one-third of those polled said that being able to say what you want is one of the best things about getting older. When you stop caring about what other people think a switch is flipped and it points in the direction of happiness.
As older Americans enjoy their golden years, people cited the best parts of aging as having more time to do what they want (64%) and enjoying retirement (60%). Another recent poll showed that 45% of Americans aged 50 and older reported have the best sex of their lives as they’ve aged. The survey found that 35% are surprisingly more intimate than ever before. Really? Yeah really!!
One study found that baby boomers are reinventing what it means to age, and they ignore the outdated stereotypes of older adults. More and more older adults are not letting their age interfere with their quality of life and their individual happiness.
They’re not letting their age interfere with their quality of life because they believe and know their best years of their lives are still ahead. We’ve found and the research supports that happiness truly is “state of mind”. You decide if you are going to be happy about the journey of life or resentful and angry.
Aging America: A Wicked Happy Place
"How happy are you?" That is the big question researchers ask year after year. Not only did researchers find that older people tend to be happier, but that happiness is not something older participants have had all their lives. In other words, as people get older, say starting at age 50, happiness comes to them. We think it’s because we start to appreciate each day more. Even the tough ones.
As the social media and the news continue to warn us about the dangers of an aging America, keep this in mind: An aging America may be the happiest America we have ever seen. Perhaps this is because of the wisdom that comes with age or because older people adjust their expectations in life. Whatever the reason, there is solid evidence that older Americans are truly happier than younger ones.
Happiness Tip: When people ask you how you are. Respond with sincere exuberance. I’m fabulous but I will get better! This makes the person who asked the question smile, and it feeds your brain with positive energy.
From all of us at Wicked Happy (there’s only a couple right now). Have a WICKED HAPPY WEEK!!!
