What’s the happiest age?
Sounds like an impossible question to answer…
…which is why researchers pooled data from long-term studies of close to half a million people (460,000+) to find out.
This type of research is called a meta-analysis, and it’s the most reliable way to answer tough questions that get different answers from different individual studies.
They found that happiness & life satisfaction:
↘️ Declined from ages 9-16 (it’s tough being a teen!)
↗️ Then increased until age 70 (that’s encouraging!)
↘️ Declined again after that (possibly related to overall health)
Happiness is a vague concept that can seem elusive, but the good news is that you don’t have to follow trends!
Happiness is related to so many other aspects of health that everything you do to feel better could also have a side effect of happiness.
Like…
🥦 Eating vegetables.
🚶 Going for walks.
💧 Drinking water.
✍️ Journaling.
🧘 Meditating.
❤️ And doing things you love.
What are you doing today for your happiness?
Reference
Buecker, S., Luhmann, M., Haehner, P., Bühler, J. L., Dapp, L. C., Luciano, E. C., & Orth, U. The development of subjective well-being across the lifespan: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin. 2023; 149(7-8):418–446. [link]