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Surveys have shown that with age, people get happier, despite the poor health and cognitive decline.
Good news for those who are in their 20s is depressed or suffers from anxiety: not for long. Older people like to argue that youth is the happiest time that should be enjoyed until old age, but recent studies refute this stereotype.
Scientists from the University of California in San Diego interviewed 1546 man from 21 to 100 years. They were asked about health, level of stress and the feeling of happiness. It turned out that older people are more satisfied with life and are generally happier than the young. The symptoms of depression and constant anxiety are often observed in twenty to thirty years.
As might be expected, older people are worse spoke about their health and cognitive abilities. However, this did not affect the level of happiness. Scientists attribute this to the fact that with age, people begin to enjoy the simple, attainable things. They're not trying to broaden the horizons and focus on communication and the preservation of human relations. Elderly better understand their emotions and the more experienced in making difficult decisions.
The researchers acknowledge that this is only a slice of health in people of different ages in a short time. It ignores the challenges and difficulties faced by young people of different generations.
Maybe people with age weaker start to respond to troubles because of changes in the brain. A study in 2004 showed that the elderly brain shows less activity in the amygdala when they are shown images that causes negative emotions. Thus, emotional reactions to bad things with age can prislushatjsja.
A study published in the journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Source: