We've known this for years, but new theories explaining the phenomenon have renewed interest in the finding that, as we get older, we get happier.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/05/04/1003744107.abstract
This, my friends, is something to look forward to. After all, our cognitive abilities decline with each passing year after our mid to late 20's: we forget more, it becomes harder to learn a second language, our attention shifts more slowly; and I don't need to tell most of you about the physical effects of aging... what now takes months to heal used to take weeks, if I heal at all. Yet, we become happier and happier.
Thankfully, we have no choice but to get old. Here are a few other predictors of happiness, of which we actually have control over:
1. Political affiliation: Republicans are happier than Democrats. Republicans seem to resonate with ideas such as, "people get what they deserve" and "if you work hard, it'll pay off," whereas Democrats believe social injustices occur in the world every day, disparities exist, and Democrats suffer when others suffer.
2. Being married: Married couples, but only happily married couples, are happier than unmarried couples or singles. Research has shown that being married and unhappy, though, is actually worse than being single. So, fix that troubled relationship or get out if you're looking for bliss. Ironically enough, married men live longer than unmarried men, but married women live less long than unmarried women. So, chose your goals (happiness, longevity) wisely. Maybe I should consider marrying a woman... hmm...
3. Income: Money does buy happiness, to some extent. The research is conflicting, though, with some studies showing no effects of income (past the ability to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, etc.) and others showing no real differences until one becomes very wealthy. Accumulation of wealth past a certain point, to me, seems problematic for any society. I'll save this discussion for another post.
For more, go here:
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/301/are-we-happy-yet
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