Getting Happier As You Age?

You’re Not Alone.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times,

“Getting old is terrible: my body is falling apart, I can’t

remember anything anymore, I need reading glasses,

and everything is just harder to do.”

Well, that may be true. Our bodies do slow down and

wear out as we age (and even faster if we abused our

bodies in our 20’s, 30’s and 40’s with alcohol, drugs,

poor food choices, and/or lack of regular exercise). Yet

the question remains, does being happy in our old age

have everything to do with the physical aspect of our

health or does our attitude act as the real predictor of

happiness?

Reviewing three different sources (a Gallup poll

conducted in 2008 covering phone conversations with

340,000 people, a study conducted by Queen’s

University in Belfast, and a study conducted by four

researchers at the University of Virginia psychology

department and published in The Journal of Positive

Psychology), there are some interesting results…

Apparently, as we mature and age, most young people

(ages 18 and up) consider being “old” as a depressing

time in their lives. A time when they can no longer run as

hard, drink as much, stay out as long, or think as clearly.

In short, younger people tend to think of life as being for

the young, with old age as something that will just

happen with time -- so you might as well get as much out

of life as possible when you are able to.

If we set aside all the parameters of the studies, the many

variables that could be argued, the different methods of

collecting data, etc., we find that one perspective rings true:

How you perceive aging dictates your level of happiness. In

other words, if you face life’s inevitable consequences with a

positive attitude rather than complaining about everything,

you most likely will score higher on all happiness studies.

We all know that living through our younger adult years (16

through 25) can be very difficult, with many young adults

feeling depressed, lost, and stressed. This can continue

through until age 50 or so, when many adults begin to settle

into a happier state on mind. Mind you, we are not speaking

of all people, simply a sampling as conducted by these

studies. Yet, it does indicate a pattern that with some

education could very well lead to more awareness and, as

such, more happiness in younger adulthood as people learn

to control their lives.

Mar-Apr 2013 Vol 9 Issue 5

Copyright 2012 (Imagery not for reprint without expressed written consent from LAS Inc.)

One example from The University of Virginia study shows that

cognitive functioning, which many of us think of as a predictor

of happiness (i.e., as we lose our ability to think clearly and

quickly we must be less happy), was just the opposite.

Cognitive functioning was divided into two areas: crystallized

intelligence – “what you’ve learned, memories, your

experiences,” and fluid intelligence – “reasoning, abstraction,

making inferences.”

Crystallized intelligence was of little statistical importance

when measuring happiness, yet fluid intelligence was

significant. Fluid intelligence “degrades much faster as people

age,” which during a younger adult’s life span is important,

especially as it relates to his/her ability to work. Yet, as we age

and we begin to slow down at work, we have less need to be as

“sharp” which goes hand-in-hand with older adults refocusing

on developing stronger relationships. So, the slide in fluid

intelligence works out well as we age, thus allowing us to be

happier emotionally, even though our bodies are slowing down

and not allowing us to run as fast or jump as high as when we

were younger.

The fact remains, we all will get older, our bodies will wear out,

and part of our minds will slow down. If we can convince our

younger population to stop smoking, eat healthier, exercise

more, and learn to relax; they may experience happiness even

before they get old.

Youth, in many ways, is wasted on the young. As Abraham

Lincoln once said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that

count; it’s the life in your years.”

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Seeing a physician can be a stressful event, whether it is for

you or for an elderly loved one.

Most often we go to doctors to get something “fixed,” though

admittedly it would be good if we all went for more “well

visits” rather than “ill visits.” With this stress comes some

nervousness often resulting in forgetfulness.

Here are some tips for helping to overcome this “forgetful”

stage:

• Write all your questions down and bring your notes to the visit.

• Have a pad and pen with you at the visit and take copious notes.

• Bring a complete list of current medications

taken, including vitamins and any other supplements.

• Understand you or your loved one’s

medical history (bring records if necessary). • Once you’re home and notice you have

forgotten to ask something, call the doctor

immediately – don’t wait.

Many find it best to have a notebook for each person

in the family. Keep running notes in that book from

every doctor’s appointment and use that notebook as

an ongoing reference for future visits and discussions

with the physician’s office (you may be surprised at

how often the doctor’s office personnel\ do not record

information or record it improperly). Some questions

to consider asking when you are going to visit you or

your loved one’s physician might be:

• What are you looking for in today’s visit? • What are some of the interactions from the

medications? • What blood work is being done and why? • What are you specifically looking for?

• What signs or symptoms should we be watching for?

• What specific areas should we be focusing

on to improve our loved one’s health?

There are many, many more questions, many

situational in nature, which you could be asking – this

was clearly a sampling of areas to touch on. The

problem most often encountered is that of “not”

asking any relevant questions. Be prepared and don’t

hesitate to ask any questions that come to mind, or

that you have written down prior to the physician’s

visit. After all, this is all about you or your loved one’s

well-being.

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