Thursday, March 31, 2011
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The key to happiness in life?
You'll have to get a little closer to death to find true joy again.
Researchers have found that those 70 years old and older -- if they have enough money and a partner by their side -- are likely the most content people you know.
The theory goes against common assumptions that the elderly are grumpy curmudgeons who want nothing less than to box the ears of some kid on a skateboard who should stay off the damned lawn because it's private property, you little punk, by God I won't tell you again!
Lewis Wolpert, an 81-year-old professor of biology at University College London and author of a tribute to getting older called You're Looking Very Well, says carefree happiness doesn't belong to the young.
"Surveys show that mid 40s is when people feel at their lowest," he tells QMI Agency from his U.K. office.
His advice to those in that age group, who spend their commutes arguing with people on the radio and finding fault with every billboard advertisement they pass?
"You will, with age, slowly get better," he promises.
One American study of almost 350,000 people concluded we lose some joy as we go into adulthood, but gain it again as we exit our 40s. By the time we reach 85, the National Academy of Sciences research concluded, things are looking peachy.
The legend of the old being cranky, says Wolpert, comes from their ability to say just what they feel from moment to moment. They're unshackled.
But his disclaimer on the aged ode to joy is that happiness is directly related to both money and whether we have someone to share the final years with.
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