It's not easy being middle aged and this proves my point. A new study out of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire looked at data from nearly 8 million Americans over the past thirty years to figure out when people are the most miserable. According to MarketWatch, that age is when you're 47.2 years old.
They say that our happiness as adults goes in a U-shaped curve. We're happy when we're 18 at the top of the "U," then we start getting more and more miserable over our 20s, 30s, and 40s. It bottoms out when we're 47.2 and then we start getting happier again. By the time you hit 70, you're just as happy as you were when you were 18 and you're at the top of the "U" on the other side.
But why is middle age so depressing? The researcher says it's basically because you realize your big dreams really aren't going to come true. But as you get older, you start to put your life in a better perspective and you become grateful for what you have, which is why you start getting happier again.
Cheers!
