U-shaped theory of happiness Archives

Happiness as you age – no denial

Apr

20

2018

The older we get, the more we are told to embrace our age. To take pride in the decades we’re notching up. Yet most of us tend to ignore these exhortations to be loud and proud about getting older. On the contrary, we continue to mark birthday milestones in denial mode. I fear that if ...

Aging – just accept it

Jan

12

2018

Nobody likes getting old. Yet the older you get the better you may feel. This is not some chirpy elder slogan, but a fact confirmed by scientific research. While our bodies deteriorate as we get older, our minds improve. They don’t get sharper, sorry – but one’s mood often becomes more upbeat. Studies show that ...

Much ado about a view 1

Aug

18

2016

I always enjoy a view. I like getting a wide angle perspective of a landscape or seascape – whatever stretches out before my eyes. Especially of natural surroundings, and ideally all the way to the horizon. My favourite viewing position is parking off at a window or an outdoor outlook. My idea of a good ...

Vacation or anticipation – which is better? 3

Jan

28

2016

It’s nearly the end of January and my memories are fading. Not in general (that happens year round). I mean specifically, about what I did last month. My pleasant memories of my December holiday are getting dimmer. My cheery post-vacation mood is wearing off. So it’s time for… Not another holiday, it’s obviously too early ...

My New Old Self Debuts in Hard Copy 1

Nov

11

2013

My New Old Self launched a real world version of this online blog – with a column in the local newspaper. Can’t read a word of the column above? It was easy enough to make the blog-to-newspaper transition, but it’s harder to go the other way. A newspaper column’s dimensions are hard to fit ...

High Point of Happiness at 69 4

Jul

26

2013

If you’re feeling a bit miz in your 50s just hang in there for another decade. That’s when your spirits will soar higher than at any time since your early 20s. That may sound like a thumb-sucked horoscope but it’s actually the finding of a new study on happiness and aging. It pinpoints 23 and ...