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.
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!
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.
Feeling down isn't a natural part of ageing. Low mood, depression and anxiety don't just become a feature of life as you get older– they're signs that you're not feeling as well as you could be. If you're feeling down, lacking in energy, or have lost pleasure in the things you used to enjoy, talking can help.
Studies in economics often find that happiness decreases from the teenage years to middle age, only to increase afterwards (and then to fall again in very high age).
Happiness is U-shaped – it declines and bottoms out in your 40s, so report countless studies, until it starts to inch its way up again in the 50s. This is a remarkably consistent finding, across countries and cultures.
According to a new study, there IS a point where life gets EASIER. And that point is . . . age 44. The study found that people stress out in their 20s over things like finding a job, saving money, and dating . . . and people stress in their 30s over things like moving up in a career and starting a family.
Ages 24 - 29 are typically the hardest psychologically because you constantly beat yourself up about where you are in life vs where you think you should be. If you're in that age bracket, please be kind to yourself, you're not doing badly and it definitely gets easier.
Brain-body changes can cause depression that occurs for the first time later in life. If blood flow is restricted, blood vessels may stiffen and reduce normal flow to the brain over time.
Nationally, peak life satisfaction comes around age 44, according to the analysis. By that time, the average American has a family, an established career, a stable home and a decent enough income to allow for an occasional splurge for luxuries, entertainment and travel.
Research shows that many people report being happier in their 50s and 60s. Here's why. At this point, many studies have examined how your overall sense of happiness (or what psychologists sometimes call “well-being,” because that sounds more scientific) changes over the course of your life.
Yet new findings suggest that, for most people, happiness does improve with higher earnings — up to $500,000 a year.
You're also more likely to develop depression if you are between ages 45 and 64, nonwhite, or divorced, and if you never graduated high school, can't work or are unemployed, and don't have health insurance.
We get better at this as we age. A 2000 meta-analysis found that fear of death grows in the first half of life, but by the time we hit the 61-to-87 age group, it recedes to a stable, manageable level.
There's no rule that says you have to become successful by the age of 25. Just look at what some of the most successful people out there were doing in their mid-twenties. Some individuals, like Beyoncé and Steve Jobs, had already made it big.
Older parents are generally less at risk for depression than younger ones. Parents still in their early 20s appear to have the hardest time because they are struggling with their own move from adolescence to adulthood while at the same time learning to be parents.
The Best And Hardest Ages
Forty percent of survey participants felt that five was the most fun age. This was thought to be down to improved communication skills and the development of a good sense of humour. The survey also found that parents had the least fun with the 10 to 12 year old children.
Personality can continue to change somewhat in middle and old age, but openness to new experiences tends to decline gradually until about age 60. After that, some people become more open again, perhaps because their responsibilities for raising a family and earning a living have been lifted.
Dr Morris says that while, on average, Australians who earn $74,000 or more are happier than those who don't, there are still happy people who earn less, and people who earn more but are unhappy.
Globally, the study found that the ideal income point for an individual is $95,000 for life satisfaction and between $60,000 to $75,000 for emotional well-being.
In general, the odds of being happy increased 5% with every 10 years of age. Overall, about 33% of Americans reported being very happy at age 88, versus about 24% of those age 18 to their early 20s.
By the age of 35-39 average self-reported happiness falls to 5.09 points. Once people hit 40 their depression gradually lifts. At the age of 70 an individual's self-reported happiness rises to 5.58 points, on average. On this basis happiness during a person's lifetime follows a gentle U-shape.