Old people are happy
All old people may not be happy, but surveys of Americans taken since 1972 say that more than half of black men and women over the age of 80 are very happy. Older white men and women follow close behind. Young people, on the other hand: Not even close.Only one-third of 18-year-old white men and 28 percent of white women say they are very happy. Young black Americans are even less happy. And Baby Boomers -- born between 1946 and 1964 -- are the least likely to report being happy.
Between 1972 and 2004, happiness trends went like this:
- General levels of happiness did not grow over the years, even though America became a wealthier country.
- Differences in happiness by gender, race, and education level lessened as people aged.
- Happiness increased over time, rising to high levels when people were older -- even for folks facing health problems and the deaths of friends and family.
Why are old people so happy? Maybe because so many of them live social lives -- volunteering, attending religious activities, spending time with neighbors -- or maybe because they're able to successfully compare themselves to others and feel pretty fortunate with what they've got. Or maybe we all just assume old people can't be all that happy, when the reality is much different.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-29-2008 @ 10:18AM
Nick said...
Old people are happy because they're insouciant, unthinking and selfish. Same as white trash. These are the people who can't be bothered to recycle an aluminum can or drive their car at a moderate speed or close their mouth when they chew or cover their mouth when they cough.
Sorry to sound like an angry whipper-snapper. I'm only generalizing (which is underrated). There are plenty of exceptions. The point is: old people are past the point of caring about the small concessions to society. At a certain point, the maturity that comes with increasing age passes an apex and starts descending into sociopathy (and senility). It doesn't help that we're conditioned to tolerate every single vice they acquire. It's easy to be happy when you have dozens of bad habits and everyone just grins and bears it because you're 'cute old grandpa', and you're essentially living the life of an 8-year-old on summer vacation.
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