Being Older Equates To Being Happier

It seems, when we are young, we spend all our time trying to live up to other's expectations. When we get older, we get past that.

According to an excellent article in the Economist, The U-bend of Life, regardless of how most people view aging, getting older is actually a good thing. As the article points out:

The greyer the world gets, the brighter it becomes...

Ask a bunch of 30-year-olds and another of 70-year-olds which group they think is likely to be happier, and both lots point to the 30-year-olds. Ask them to rate their own well-being, and the 70-year-olds are the happier bunch....

Although as people move towards old age they lose things they treasure—vitality, mental sharpness and looks—they also gain what people spend their lives pursuing: happiness...

Having just been around that U-bend myself, this all seems pretty relevant.

While I was of college age, my oldest brother related something to me that has stayed with me all these years. He said that when I went to my ten year high school reunion, I would waste most of my time trying to impress everyone with how successful and cool my life had become. Then at my twenty year reunion, I may do more of the same, but to a lesser degree. Then, by the time my thirty year reunion came along, I would no longer give a damn and would actually be more interested in just being able to spend time with old friends. Although, I have always seen the logic in his observations, until now, I never realized how incredibly accurate they are.

I am finding that U-bend to be a real thing from my perspective. After a rough patch a few years ago -- the traditional "mid-life crisis", I suppose -- the last couple have been the absolute best years of my life. Stranger yet, even though I am now on the back forty, I am unusually optimistic that even better ones are yet to come.