People are happiest around age 23 and then again around age 69, a new study has revealed.
Study author Hannes Schwandt, a research associate at Princeton University told the New York Daily News that for most, life hits a slump during the mid-50s, likely because that’s when people experience the most regret.
Schwandt said that young people strongly overestimate their future, they’re overoptimistic and they think that they will be the ones who don’t get divorced, who have money and nice jobs and healthy children.
The author warns that optimism translates to happiness, but can lead to misery if dreams aren’t fulfilled.
This might explain why well-being hits a low a couple decades later.
The study data comes from more than 23,000 surveys that were conducted in Germany, among participants between ages 17 and 85.
The respondents were asked how satisfied they were with their current life, and how they expected to feel about life in five years.
Schwandt said that the reason for the late-age boost in happiness could be because people have come to peace with lost opportunities.
The research was published this month by the London School of Economics and Political Science at the Centre for Economic Performance. (ANI)