England (Common Wealth) _ What is the most unhappy age? According to a new study, being 47 years old or in your late 40s is the most ‘depressing’ time of your life. Our happiness appears to drop towards this midlife nadir before gradually increasing during our 50s and 60s.
In your forties, you look back fondly on your carefree youth and look forward to semi-retirement and enjoying the “good life.” According to the study, you’re caught in the middle and trapped in a deadly cycle of comparison.
Dr. David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, conducted the study, which analyzed 109 data files of happiness statistics from around the world, showing the correlations between happiness and age.
He discovered the ‘happy curve’ in data from 132 nations while adjusting for variables that influence happiness, such as education, marital status, and employment status. Happiness was lowest in underdeveloped countries, at 48.2 years old, and highest in developed countries, at 47.2.
According to the study, happiness drops and peaks in your 40s before gradually rising again in your mid-50s. When you combine tween-aged children with mortgages, high-interest rates, and collagen depletion, you could end up with a miserable 40-something-year-old.
According to psychologist Dr Dougal Sutherland, there is a method to the misery: “Your forties are a time in life when you feel the most weight of responsibility.” Many people will have dependent children, as well as the responsibilities that come with aging parents and potentially growing levels of responsibilities at work. All of these factors can reduce your overall sense of well-being.”
“In their late forties and early fifties, many people have less autonomy and financial security,” he explains. “When you’re younger, you’re not bound by responsibilities, and you have more options.” People in their forties and fifties may have mortgages to pay and adolescent children to care for.
Your body may be experiencing aches and pains, and there may be less novelty in your life. Everything you were looking forward to when you were younger has either occurred or appears to be less likely to occur.
Your forties are supposed to be a period when you have it all together, but it’s not always easy to feel terrific when you’re overburdened with family responsibilities, a difficult work, and are constantly exposed to a troubling news cycle, according to Jaquie. “It’s easy to lose your sense of self when you’re running around trying to do everything for everyone, which makes prioritizing personal happiness more important than ever.”
So, why might happiness rise later in life?
“Autonomy usually increases as you get older,” says Dr Dean Burnett, author of The Happy Brain and honorary research associate at Cardiff University’s School of Psychology. You have more control over your life now that your children are grown, you have less duty, and you may be retired. You’ve also had some time to reconcile with whatever difficulties you encountered in your 40s and 50s.
