Why happiness is U-shaped: The age at which we are most and least happy

there are many Studies on happiness. Human desire has interested philosophers, psychologists, and even economists for centuries. This is the situation David Blanchflower And Andrew OswaldMasters Dartmouth and Warwick University respectively. In 2008, they conducted research to prove a relationship between… Happiness and life. His study – then published in the journal Social sciences and medicine-, participated in by more than Two million people From more than 70 different countries. Three years ago, Blanchflower expanded the scope of the study to include… 132 passes Publish the results with in National Bureau of Economic Research. As he himself explains, “ UnhappinessIt is shaped like a hill By age and average age where The maximum occurs at 49 years With or without controls. There is a curve of unhappiness.” That is, what maturity is –Between 40 and 50 Years when people benefited most Fears and concerns.

Why is happiness U-shaped or happiness curve?

Among the factors studied by experts were different Factors affecting well-being: “Desperate, anxiety, Lonelinesssadness, stress, depression And bad nerves Phobia and panicto frustrate, to get Sleep without rest– Loss of self-confidence, inability to overcome difficulties, exposure to pressure, I feel like a failure“Feeling excluded, feeling stressed, and thinking of yourself as a worthless person,” they explain. In addition, in order to take important variables into account, two other measures of public attitudes were included in the study: The situation in the country From the respondent and The future of the world. The result was the same: the happiness It is U-shaped. As Oswald himself explains, “There was a very strong phenomenon that seemed to indicate that humans were sliding down this giant U-shaped shape.” Psychological comfort throughout their livesup to A Lows generally in the late 40s And then It rises again beyond 70“.

Why do we feel unhappy between the ages of 40 and 50?

Explain the data obtained Age and happiness It’s not very clear. “there Several theories“This might be it,” says Oswald Some reasons:

1. Maybe this age is when you realize that Did not arrive The ambitions I had when I was young This is psychologically painful and disappointing.
2. It could be because of the call middle age crisisIt is an expression coined by Canadian psychologist Elliott Jack in 1965, to refer to the moment when a person becomes aware of his or her own mortality.
3. It is also the time of life when important events occur such as aspects e.g Empty nest syndromehe Divorce Wave Frustration with work.

What Happiness Really Depends On (Beyond Age)

Not all experts agree With the idea of ​​it happiness It is U-shaped All our lives. Without going any further, Robert WaldingerProfessor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School And Mark SchultzPhD in clinical psychology from the University of California, are both authors of the book The largest study on happiness in the world –Good life (Planeta) – “One thing that the vast body of research on human well-being clearly shows, from our longitudinal study through dozens of other studies, is that No matter how old you arein any part of The cycle of life you find yourself inWhether you are married or not, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert: Everyone can give Positive transformations for your life“.

They add: “Some We lived through most of it Of our lives and remember them; Others have In front of a large part of them They are looking forward to trying it out. For everyone, Regardless of ageit helps us remember that this It’s not just about personal achievements.but about Be important to someoneAbout leaving something for future generations and about being part of something bigger than ourselves: that This is about what we mean to others.. “It’s never too late to start making your mark.”