One should not be afraid of the old age, as several international studies show. For most people it is the happy time. The most important thing is to overcome the most difficult period from 30 to 45 years with dignity.
We are the most harmonious and the happiest at the beginning and at the end of life, but the average age is for most people the most psychologically complex one. Such conclusion has been reached by the Belgian scientist Bert van Landegem from the University of Maastricht. His research shows that satisfaction with life starts to decrease closer to 30 years and returns to the high level only after 50-55 years.
Of course, elderly people do not get back their youthful nonchalance, but they begin to have fun and derive joy from life on a new level. The researcher claims that hardly anyone of the 65-year-olds would prefer their age to, let us say, 25 years. But at the same time, it might seem paradoxical that most of the 65-year old people are more satisfied with life than the 25-year-olds.
Other scientists agree with the Belgian researcher. For example, Lewis Wolpert, professor emeritus of biology at University College London, believes that optimism and satisfaction drop significantly by the age of 30 years and begin to grow again from about 45 years, reaching their peak when people are 70 or 80 years old. The survey of more than 340 thousand people, conducted by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, has shown exactly the same result: in our mid-50s, we begin to look at the world with more and more optimism.
This is largely due to the fact that over the years we begin to truly appreciate everything we have. In addition, with age, when family and career are already built, we begin to devote more time to our hobbies and do not have any remorse when we abandon the things which bring us no joy.
Source of the image: Photl.
