15/05/2024
I've got to an age when I know my body doesn't hum like lit used to. Well, I'm not use it ever hummed to be honest... more like ticked over with a bit of encouragement.
Have you heard of the phenomenon referred to as the happiness U-curve ? Researchers have been exploring the basis for quite some time.
The happiness curve refers to the trajectory that happiness tends to follow as we age. People begin life fairly happy. Around age 18, their happiness begins to decrease, reaching a low point in their 40s. But after age 50, happiness begins to rise again. This U-shaped happiness curve has emerged consistently in large studies of Western societies.
With age, we tend to feel more settled, less driven to prove our worth to others or be concerned about their opinions. We tend to be better at managing emotions, focusing on positive experiences, and dealing with challenges and setbacks. Meaning becomes a bigger focus. Comparison changes to acceptance, and you’re more at peace with the state of things, less in fight mode. So often, we spend our adult lives in the mad pursuit of the way we felt in childhood.
Life is better when it's lived slowly. It's not about more, it's about less.
