With Age Comes Happiness, Research Shows

Study Dispels Myth That Older People Aren't Happy; Lowered Expectations Are Key

(AP)  Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age - the golden years really are golden.

That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.

The two go hand-in-hand - being social can help keep away the blues.

"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.

This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner."

George, who was not involved in the new study, believes the research is important because the general public continues to think that "late life is far from the best stage of life and they don't look forward to it."

Yang's findings are based on periodic face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Americans from 1972 to 2004. About 28,000 people aged 18 to 88 took part.

There were ups and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.

While younger blacks and poor people tended to be less happy than whites and wealthier people, those differences faded as people aged.

In general, the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of age.

Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less than 20 percent said they were not too happy.

A separate University of Chicago study found that about 75 percent of people aged 57 to 85 engage in one or more social activities at least every week. Those include socializing with neighbors, attending religious services, volunteering or going to group meetings.

Those in their 80s were twice as likely as those in their 50s to do at least one of these activities.

Both studies appear in April's American Sociological Review.

"People's social circles do tend to shrink a little as they age - that is mainly where that stereotype comes from, but that image of the isolated elderly really falls apart when we broaden our definition of what social connection is," said study co-author Benjamin Cornwell, also a University of Chicago researcher.

The research rings true for 81-year-old George O'Hare, a retired Sears manager in Willowbrook, Ill. He's active with church, AARP and does motivational speaking, too. His wife is still living, and he's close to his three sons and four grandchildren.

"I'm very happy because I've made friends that are still living," O'Hare said. "I like to go out and speak in schools about motivation."

"Happiness is getting out and being with people, and that's why I recommend it," he said.

Ilse Siegler, an 84-year-old retired nurse manager in Chicago, has a slightly different perspective. Her husband died 35 years ago; she still misses him everyday.

She has vision problems and has slowed down with age. Yet, she still swims, runs a social group in her condo building, volunteers in a retirement home and is active with her temple. These all help "make life more enjoyable," she said.

While Siegler said these aren't the happiest years of her life, she's content.

"Contentment as far as I'm concerned comes with old age ... because you accept things the way they are," she said. "You know that nothing is perfect."

Cornwell's nationally representative study was based on in-home interviews with 3,005 people in 2005-06. While it didn't include nursing home residents, only about 4 percent of Americans aged 75 to 84 are in nursing homes, Cornwell said.

It's all good news for the aging population. However, Yang's study also found that baby boomers were the least happy. They could end up living the unfortunate old-age stereotype if they can't let go of their achievement-driven mind-set, said George, the Duke aging expert.

So far, baby boomers aren't lowering their aspirations at the same rate earlier generations did. "They still seem to believe that they should have it all," George said. "They're still thinking about having a retirement that's going to let them do everything they haven't done yet."

Previous research also has shown that mid-life tends to be the most stressful time, said Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington. "Everyone's asking you to do things and you have a lot to do. You're less happy because you feel hassled."

The new studies show "if you can make it through that," there's light at the end of the tunnel, Wethington said.

[robrob791]

YEAR

[robrob791]

I am 84, my wife is 79, we have been married to each other for over 61 years. We do not have much money but do have 11 great Grandchildren and are very happy. I was born on Nov. 24, she was born on May,24 so according to everything I have read we were not compatible for each other, so much for statistics. I have been a member of AARP for years and find them to be a joke, we had 3 cars insured with them, plus our household , we switched companies to GMAC and saved over $400.00 a wear.

[jon2012-2009]

those who would have responded as not being too happy have already died.

Posted by jon2012
--------------

I was murdered a long time ago. :)

Posted by hypnotoad72 at 02:22 PM : Apr 19, 2008

Hear, hear! A case of early resurrection.

[davewrite1]

There''s little correlation between wealth and happiness -- except at the extremes of poverty. Although America is first in wealth, it''s 23rd in happiness. At the top of list are many of the worlds poorest. Life is lived in the mind. People who measure success only materially and who judge themselves and others by wealth are no happier now than they were in days of Jesus and Socrates -- both exceedingly poor.

[drivelphobe]

docodams3...

Spoken like a true loser with entitlement mentality. There is no time in history offering more to those with drive, focus and dedication to hard work than now. There are so many laggards around, and dole-seeking oafs, that opportunity is screaming for takers.

Everything costs the same today or less when adjusted for inflation. When one could buy dinner for a buck, the wages were $2-$3 per hour. Stop whining you baby. The taxes today are much lower, but you have to earn income to understand that. Have you tried working?

[hypnotoad72]

those who would have responded as not being too happy have already died.

Posted by jon2012
--------------

I was murdered a long time ago. :)

[jon2012-2009]

There may be a simple explanation at work here to suspect that the result of the elderly being happier than other groups in the population is a mere artifact. The elderly is clearly not representative of the population in that those who would have responded as not being too happy have already died.

[honestabe8]

element51: well put.

[rational_1]

This article is posted just above the one demonstrating that as they age, men''s memories are worse than women''s. Maybe as we age we''re really not any happier - we''ve just forgotten how miserable we really are. LOL.

[pkelly79]

"Lower expectations are key" - how reassuring. How about ''Improved Perspective'' ...or maybe ''you''re gonna die someday no matter what''

[bequialife]

hypnotoad72 - exactly!

[bequialife]

Uh, I don''t think so. I am more miserable now than ever, and I am 43. It has only gotten worse.

[cbsfan73]

From the National Insitute of Mental Health: Older Americans are disproportionately likely to die by suicide.

Although they comprise only 12 percent of the U.S. population, people age 65 and older accounted for 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004.

14.3 of every 100,000 people age 65 and older died by suicide in 2004, higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population.

Non-Hispanic white men age 85 and older were most likely to die by suicide. They had a rate of 49.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 persons in that age group.

[element51]

docadams....Who the f*ck do you thing built the "nations treasures" in the first place? It wasn''t you buddy. When we were there wages were a buck an hour. Would you work your arse off for that? Quit whining and go out and get yours just like we did. Go into the military...they''ll educate you and pay you pretty well. When I was in, basic pay was 78.00 per month. Yeah, we sure had it easy. And now that we have reached the age of retirement this f*ucked up government has screwed things up so bad that we can''t make ***** off the money we saved to retire on. What goes around, comes around. Someday your kids will be calling you a sphincter.

[docadams3]

They should be happy. They made off with the nation''s treasures, low-cost colleges, low-interest student loans, home loans, deductible consumer interest (for years), and now they have federally subsidized viagra that future generations will have to pay off. What sphincters!

[element51]

hypno...Death is a part of life and nothing to fear. I don''t want to go now, I love my life, but we all know that sooner or later death will visit all of us. When that time comes for me, I am glad that I can meet it with happiness and that I have been given such a wonderful life. I didn''t make a big mark but I sure have had fun on the ride.

[hypnotoad72]

Because they''re closer to death, is that why?!

[element51]

I totally agree with this article. I am 63 years old and I have never been happier in my life. I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people in the world. I don''t have lots of money, but I''m OK. My health is not bad and I have good friends and family. All my life I made it a policy to not do things I didn''t want to do. I was lucky there too. I have had two successful careers doing things that I enjoyed. I have been able to even persue an acting career, although I never became a star, at one time in my life. Ah yes, it has been a sweet ride.