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Category: Happiness
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The Age When Meaning In Life Matters Most
People are most active in their search for meaning in life at these two ages.
People are most active in their search for meaning in life at these two ages.
People search most actively for meaning in life in their twenties and then again after reaching their sixties.
In their twenties, people are still finding themselves, searching out careers and relationships.
This can often be a relatively unhappy time for people, when feelings of depression and anxiety can peak.
Middle age typically (but not always) brings a period of stability in which the search for meaning decreases as people settle down and find their way in life.
People generally begin to feel happier through this middle period.
The search for meaning in life kicks in again after the age of 60 as retire looms and family and friends are starting to pass away.
The search for meaning is important for many reasons, explains Professor Dilip V. Jeste, study co-author:
“Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective, but meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity.
Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.”
The conclusions come from a study of 1,042 people who were interviewed about the meaning they experienced in life along with other key measures.
The results revealed a U-shaped connection between the search for meaning in life and age.
Professor Jeste explained:
“When you are young, like in your twenties, you are unsure about your career, a life partner and who you are as a person.
You are searching for meaning in life.
As you start to get into your thirties, forties and fifties, you have more established relationships, maybe you are married and have a family and you’re settled in a career.
The search decreases and the meaning in life increases.
After age 60, things begin to change.
People retire from their job and start to lose their identity.
They start to develop health issues and some of their friends and family begin to pass away.
They start searching for the meaning in life again because the meaning they once had has changed.”
Related
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Aftab et al., 2019).
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Forget Optimism: The Personality Trait That Actually Leads To Happiness
Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists, but does that make you happier?
Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists, but does that make you happier?
Realists are significantly happier than both pessimists and optimists in the long-run.
Pessimism and optimism are personality traits that lie at opposite ends of a spectrum.
Realists, meanwhile, sit halfway in between, occupying the middle ground.
Optimists may suffer in the long-term because they are often disappointed.
The regular disappointment can end up being a stronger emotion than the pleasure gained from anticipating positive outcomes.
The most optimistic people are 13.5 percent less happy than realists, the study found.
Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists.
The problem for pessimists is perhaps more obvious: they are constantly dreading the worst.
This dread can overtake any benefits gained from things turning out better than expected.
The most pessimistic people are 21.8 percent less happy than realists, the study also found.
Both optimists and pessimists make decisions based on biased false beliefs.
Dr Chris Dawson, study co-author, said:
“Plans based on inaccurate beliefs make for poor decisions and are bound to deliver worse outcomes than would rational, realistic beliefs, leading to lower well-being for both optimists and pessimists.
Particularly prone to this are decisions on employment, savings and any choice involving risk and uncertainty.
I think for many people, research that shows you don’t have to spend your days striving to think positively might come as a relief.
We see that being realistic about your future and making sound decisions based on evidence can bring a sense of well-being, without having to immerse yourself in relentless positivity.”
The study included 1,601 people who were tracked for over 18 years.
They reported their life satisfaction and any psychological distress each year.
People were also asked about their finances and their tendency to over- or under-estimate them.
The results showed that realists were most satisfied with their lives (life satisfaction is a measure of overall happiness, in contrast to momentary pleasure).
The study was published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (de Meza & Dawson, 2020).
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