Ironic it may seem but our grandparents are happier than youngsters like us. This is according to a study conducted for more than 30 years by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

From 1972 to 2004, the researchers annually interview 1,500 to 3,000 people asking them questions answerable by very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy. They found 33 percent of Americans being very happy at age 88, vs. 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. While women are happier than men and white people are happier than black people. Interestingly, more than half of the people over 80 said they were happy.

“With age comes happiness. That is, overall levels of happiness increase with age, net of other factors,” University of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang said “People tended to be happier during economic good times,”Yang said. “But those born into the crowded and competitive ‘Baby Boom’ generation from 1946 to 1964 were the least happy - probably because some did not get what they wanted out of life,” he said.

“A man’s age is something impressive, it sums up his life: maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, griefs and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944.

Source: www.reuters.com

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