Happiness Peaks at age 65...unless you're German.

[Midpack]

This oughta be amusing here...

People are at their happiest at retirement age and their most miserable in their geriatric years, a new study has found.

“We all strive towards happiness, but we wanted to find out at what point in life we actually reach this goal,” said Dr Beatton.

“Our interpretation of these findings is that individuals over 55 no longer have unrealistic expectations of what their life will be like and simply enjoy their reasonable health and wealth, leading to a marked surge in happiness. As their health starts to deteriorate after 75, their happiness plunges,” said Dr Beatton.

Happiness wave study reveals happy pensioners, and debunks middle-age blues myth - UQ News Online - The University of Queensland

Sometimes data gets in the way of _______?

 

[heeyy_joe]

And beer consumption goes down after age 65. Hmmmm......

 

[W2R]

I will be 65 in about three weeks, and I must admit that I am pretty happy!

I have known some pretty miserable 65-year-olds, though. Those 65-year-olds who are still working, in debt up to their eyebrows, in a dead end job, stuck in an unhappy marriage, and see no possibility of anything ever improving, sometimes may not think that life looks so rosy.

 

[ejman]

What's the matter with the Germans? It must be all that parsimonious austerity. Now the Aussies know how to live! The Brits as usual will muddle thru...

 

[Onward]

Interesting study, but I'm very skeptical of the results.

In Germany, happiness peaks at 7 at age 65, preceded by a reduction in happiness during early adulthood.

“Life appears to simply get worse and worse in Germany after the age of 18,” said Dr Beatton.

These two statements seem to contradict each other (is the peak at age 65 or age 18?). The graph seems to support the second statement and contradict the first.

And from the experiential realm: I've lived in Germany and spent lots of time in Brittain and with Brits. There is absolutely, positively no way that the typical adult German is less happy than the typical adult Brit. I would have bet heavily on the opposite result.

Something's funky with the questions, their translations, or taboos or cultural differences in answering surveys.

According to my experience, at least.

 

[marko]

I think the point is that after 65 you're on borrowed 'happy' times.

If you're 60 now, even if you live to be 90, you've only got 15 or 18 'good summers' left. After that, things start to fail you.

Carpe Diem! Clock's ticking.....

 

[W2R]

I think the point is that after 65 you're on borrowed 'happy' times.

If you're 60 now, even if you live to be 90, you've only got 15 or 18 'good summers' left. After that, things start to fail you.

Carpe Diem! Clock's ticking.....

My, what a cheery post to read this Saturday morning! Oh well. I do see your point.

I am nearly 65, and I have had more fun in the past 3.5 years since I retired, than I did in the prior 61.5 years. So, I am not feeling too glum at all, right now.

 

[marko]

My, what a cheery post to read this Saturday morning! Oh well. I do see your point.

I am nearly 65, and I have had more fun in the past 3.5 years since I retired, than I did in the prior 61.5 years. So, I am not feeling too glum at all, right now.

Gee...wasn't trying to be a downer but the fact is none of us gets out of here alive (The Doors). Someone once told me the "15 good summers left" observation and for me it was an epiphany. It really was.

I'm 61 and 8 years into RE and agree with the having fun part...but...too many don't realize the steep slope of the OP's curve until it's too late.

I hear of friends/neighbors who come down with X, Y, Z (serious ailments) at 73 y.o. and say: "they're only 13 years older than me..."

 

[Dreamer]

I think the point is that after 65 you're on borrowed 'happy' times.

If you're 60 now, even if you live to be 90, you've only got 15 or 18 'good summers' left. After that, things start to fail you.

Carpe Diem! Clock's ticking.....

Well, I am 60 now and I have thought the same thing. Even if I live to be 90, I will probably not be wanting to traipse around the world in my 80s or 90s.

I am pretty happy most of the time. We have less responsibilities than we had earlier in our lives when we were working our career jobs and rearing our family. We also have our DD, her DH and our 4 yr old granddaughter living with us now. The 4 year old makes me smile and laugh out loud more this year, then I probably laughed in the 10 years before I retired from my career job. We have fun playing! It was also nice to be able to travel to FL last month and not know for sure when we were coming home.

 

[Bikerdude]

I recently read something that implied that after age 65 you should live every day with a sense of urgency.

 

[eytonxav]

So I can look forward to 13 more months of bliss and then its all down hill

 

[Midpack]

So I can look forward to 13 more months of bliss and then its all down hill

Strive to be the exception, don't be "average."

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Sometimes happiness is a matter of circumstance -