Those Over 50 Are Less Stressed

Here’s some good news about getting older. A new survey suggests aging may actually help us take it easier and be happier.

On average, people reported being less worried after the age of 50, and less stressed and angry in the years after their 20s. People in their 70s and 80s had the fewest negative emotions. That was the case even though they were dealing with more medical problems and the deaths of people close to them.

Researchers at New York’s Stony Brook University came to these conclusions after examining a 2008 Gallup phone survey of more than 340,000 people who live in the United States.

The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found people were more stressed and angry in their 20s, and their levels of stress and anger declined all the way through their 80s. As for worrying, from around 20 to about age 50, the pattern was flat. But then there was a reduction in how much people worried through their 80s.

What’s going on? One popular theory is that people stop looking forward as they get older and begin appreciating what they have in life. It’s also possible that they make decisions to maximize their pleasure in the now.

Bottom line it’s another piece of information that debunks some stereotypes about older people. And that’s good news for Zoomers.