People Get Happier as They Get Older
March 8, 2012
What is there to be happy about by getting older? Lots, apparently.
At least according to a nationwide survey involving over 340,000 people between the ages of 18 and 85. Participants were asked a range of questions covering everything from their sex lives to health and finance, but the interesting part came when asked six simple yes-or-no questions: "Did you experience the following feelings during a large part of the day yesterday: enjoyment, happiness, stress, worry, anger, sadness?"
Notice the survey is only covering your emotional state yesterday, not last year, not as a child or during the college years, because they didn't want respondents to look back with gin-colored glasses. Now, think about the answer for yourself. What if you answer might depend as much on your age as it does on your circumstances? Each emotion, it turned out, had its own trend. And every single trend pointed toward happier 85-year-olds than 50-year-olds. For example:
- Enjoyment and Happiness: Decreased every year until about age 50, then rose steadily until age 75.
- Stress: Declined every year from age 22 and reached its absolute lowest at age 85.
- Worry: Held steady between 18 and 50, then sharply dropped off.
- Anger: Decreases every year from 18 on.
- Sadness: Peaked at 50, hit its low point at 73.
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Couple Rescues Prairie Dog From Their Dog's Mouth, Then Decides To Adopt It
Hungry Elephant Casually Walks Into Grocery Store For Snacks In Thailand
Wild Orcas Keep Giving Humans Gifts, Leaving Experts Puzzled
My Girlfriend Gifted Me My Father’s Handwriting To Keep Forever
We Can’t Stop Looking At These Adorable Baby Loon Photos Taken On A Lake
This Couple Built A Grass Patch For Their Cat, And She’s Obsessed With It
'Am I Allowed To Be This Happy?' The Moment A Nervous Foster Dog Finally Lies In A Dog Bed
Grandma Thinks She's 60. Her Reaction To Learning She's 90 Is Priceless
Baby Elephant’s Trunk Steals The Show In Adorable Treat Time Video
Chicken Or Pigeon? The Internet Can’t Believe This Bird Is Real
Bear Vs. Sprinkler: Hilarious Garden Moment Caught On Camera