On the prowl for a “happiest age,” researchers surveyed 766 people who were in different stages of their lives—adults in their late 20s, early 50s, and late 70s. They rated their life satisfaction thus far and how satisfied they predicted they would be in the years to come. Researchers found that for people of all ages, perceived happiness steadily increased starting at childhood until it reached a peak at a certain age. It slowly declined from then on. Here’s the catch: The peak of happiness for each group of adults occurred at that group’s current age. In other words, young adults believed their 20s to be the best years of their lives, middle-aged folks valued their 50s, and the older crowd found the most happiness in their 70s. Talk about loving your age! “We seem to have an adaptive capacity—the adaptive power of the present. We tend to see ourselves in the present in the best possible psychological situation,” says Veronica Gomez, PhD, personality psychologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland. “This is a very clever mechanism of human nature because then everything is smoother and easier.” Our brains regulate our thinking and emotions as a means of solving the problems we are dealt, says Dr. Gomez. Part of that involves subconsciously thinking about a current bad situation in a way that minimizes it in comparison to the struggles of the past and the unknown future, she explains. To cope, then, the subconscious actively tells the conscious mind to make the best of right now—making every day you wake up the new best day of your life. More from Prevention: Why Do You Love Your Age?
