According to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, there is a U-shaped “happiness curve” over the course of a person's lifetime that bottoms out at 47.2 years of age in the developed world and 48.2 years of age in developing nations.
In one large study from the Brookings Institute, for example, scientists found happiness was high for 18- to 21-year-olds and then dropped steadily until about age 40. But past middle age, the pattern began to reverse—gradually climbing back up to its highest point at age 98!
In the raw US data, essentially however measured, happiness rises initially to a peak around age 30 and then declines into midlife and then rises again after age 70.
The most unhappy time of your life is your forties, according to a phenomenon known as the “u-shaped” curve which states that happiness bottoms out around your forties then trends back up as you grow older.
A Dartmouth economist has pegged what he claims is the most miserable age: 47.2 years old. A new study by David Blanchflower, collecting data about well-being and age from 132 countries, suggests that for people in developed nations, the “happiness curve” reaches its perigee at precisely 47.2 years.
Looking first at self-reports of ongoing stress, we found that people experience a sharp increase in stress levels in their late twenties and early thirties. Stress levels increase more moderately during the thirties and forties, remain steady for about 20 years, and then drop sharply as retirement comes around.
We all face an inordinate amount of pressure in our 20s. It's not that the later years are less stressful, but during our 20s our coping mechanisms are not as developed. However, the hardest times also make us stronger and this particular decade proves it. Here are 11 reasons why the 20s are the hardest of all.
According to a study published in the Social Indicators Research journal, we're the happiest between the ages of 30-34, and midlife (our 40s and 50s) is not perceived as the least happy period in life.
When it comes to feeling your best, a new study finds that 27-year-olds are in the prime of their lives. But if you're past that youthful age, fret not!-- the study also found that you worry less about your appearance as you grow older.
Dr. Havemann says pre-existing depression and anxiety, as well as bereavement – which naturally occurs more often with advancing age – also contribute. Increasing insomnia is also a factor. Brain-body changes can cause depression that occurs for the first time later in life.
Yes, those who are happy tend to have fewer wrinkles and lines and other outward signs of aging. Their skin tends to be more resilient, which allows them to look much younger than they actually are.
On average, people in the United States are happiest and most satisfied with their lives when they're young, experience a decline in both metrics in their 40s (often called a midlife crisis), and then rebound in their 60s.
Ultimate, perfect happiness. Level 4 happiness is the most difficult to describe. It involves a search for fullness and perfection.
After age 30, people tend to lose lean tissue. Your muscles, liver, kidney, and other organs may lose some of their cells. This process of muscle loss is called atrophy. Bones may lose some of their minerals and become less dense (a condition called osteopenia in the early stages and osteoporosis in the later stages).
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons conducted a poll to see when we reach peak attractiveness and apparently it's in your 30s for both men and women. Women are reportedly most attractive at age 30 while men reach peak attractiveness at age 38.
Happiness actually may increase with age. It may be unfathomable for some young people to think of their grandparents as being happier than they are, but research shows that Americans actually get happier as they age despite their health conditions and other problems that arise.
Level 1: Pleasure
This form of happiness is relatively short-lived and shallow. Examples include a delicious meal, new clothes or even listening to your favorite music. Although not inherently wrong, getting stuck at the first level of happiness is a constant roller coaster of seeking satisfaction in temporary desires.
Scientists have found that the three things that make people most happy are PLEASURE (doing things you enjoy), ENGAGEMENT (feeling interested in your activities and connected to others), and MEANING (feeling like what you do matters).
Contrary to what you might think, it's not career achievement, money, exercise, or a healthy diet. The most consistent finding we've learned through 85 years of study is: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer.
Focus on abilities.
Older adults who focus on what they can do and find rewarding, rather than any decline in abilities, are happier. According to a study in The Gerontologist, accepting aging and adapting to age-related changes is vital to successful aging and well-being.
Despite our youthful pessimism about growing older, a mounting body of scientific evidence shows that, in many ways, life improves with age. We become happier and less anxious, more adaptive and resilient.
This scale examines the positive and negative explanations people give for events in their life. For both men and women, higher levels of optimism were associated with a longer life span and “exceptional longevity,” which the researchers defined as surviving to 85.
Put on a happy face
Smiling reduces stress and makes you feel more positive. More to the point, researchers found that people who smile are often perceived as being younger than their actual age, while people who frown appear to be older than they really are.
It turns out that across adulthood, negative emotions (like anger) wane, and positive emotions (like contentment) become more prominent. In very late life (in the eighties and beyond), this pattern reverses slightly, but never to the same low levels observed in younger adulthood (in the twenties and thirties).