OLDER AND HAPPIER

When I began interviewing people for the Happiness research I'm working on, I thought at first that the younger people were, the happier and more bold with their choices, given their focus on self and their lack of responsibilities.

And yet, something in me felt this was not true. While I am a mom and have responsibilities, I feel more confident, more aware of who I am and what's important to me, and overall I feel happier than before. I reflected ways in which the notion of happiness and the process of aging play together.

I remembered my grandmother and her happy disposition, cooking all day, excited to have me over and taste her Hungarian plum filled dumplings which I loved so much. I interviewed an old man I met on top of Apuseni mountains in Romania, a farmer, who had no pension and yet was satisfied with his life and beamed of happiness. He had a stable yet busy daily routine of milking his cow, gardening, and exchanging cheese he made for goods like wood or bread. Later last year, I talked to an older couple in Salerno who had lost their son. Despite this tragedy, they continued to work in their family restaurant. I was inspired by their wisdom and their devotion to their craft, the best Spaghetti con le Vongole I've ever had.

Later, the old truth occurred to me: of course, the older people get, the wiser they become. And the more I thought about it, I began to acknowledge that to be happy we need to make wise choices. To make wise choices, we must know ourself, said Aristotle. And to know ourselves... it takes time.

As I dug farther into science and psychology studies, I noticed one work after another pointing to the fact that older people are actually happier, more satisfied, and less depressed. A paradox?

According to a recent study, “When people face endings they tend to shift from goals about exploration and expanding horizons to ones about savoring relationships and focusing on meaningful activities. When you focus on emotionally meaningful goals, life gets better, you feel better, and the negative emotions become less frequent and more fleeting when they occur.”

Does that mean we have to wait till we're older to get wiser and happier? I say not.

I'm so excited to announce Round 2 of the HAPPINESS RESEARCH WORKSHOP SERIES. If you're in the Bay Area and are free on OCTOBER 21st, join me as I share the Path of Happiness framework I developed, and work with a small group of like minded people through the different pieces that together form the Foundation of #Happiness.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-older-people-happier-20160824-snap-story.html