Getting Old Is The Key To Happiness, Say Scientists

The ‘fountain of youth’ is a con.

It seems the ‘fountain of youth’ might not be the key to happiness after all.

A new study revealed that the older we get, in fact the better our mental health becomes. 

Dilip Jeste, Director of Centre On Healthy Ageing at the University of California observed that there was a substantially “improved sense of psychological wellbeing” in correlation with age.


By contrast, those in their twenties and thirties were experiencing the highest levels of anxiety, perceived stress and symptoms of depression than any other age group.

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, refuted the idea that age-related decline in physical and cognitive traits was always mirrored in mental wellbeing. 

Jeste said: “Some cognitive decline over time is inevitable but its effect is clearly not uniform and in many people, not clinically significant ― at least in terms of impacting their sense of well-being and enjoyment of life.”

The study looked at a sample of 1546 adults, ranging in age from 21 to 100 years.

The oldest bracket had mental health scores that ranked significantly better than the youngest, although the reasons for this were not completely understood.

Previous research has suggested that it was because humans become more adept at dealing with stressful situations and don’t “sweat about the small things” in later life.

Another suggestion is that older individuals have more acquired wisdom and are better at making complex emotional and social decisions.

Either way, it’s something to look forward to. 


Source:  Sophie Gallagher - Life Writer at the Huffington Post UK
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ageing-key-to-happiness-mental-health_uk_57bed20ee4b0ba22a4d38bf2