Don’t Worry, Be Happy

In most western societies, we tend to spend our 20s and 30s creating our future.

By our late 30s and early 40s, when we realize that – we have not achieved what we hoped to achieve and – our future is shrinking rapidly, we have 2 options.

We can begin to panic or we can adjust to all these changes by redirecting our thoughts to the positive past. This is what most of us do, which results in us feeling more secure and happier, as we move into the later stages of our lives.

When we are young, we let our emotions run wild. The higher they go, the lower they drop. It takes us years to control them. As we move into our 50s, they become more stable and we begin to achieve more serenity in life. Apart from that, we are more drawn to positivity and are able to hold on to it for longer, which is another reason why we feel happier as we age.

In our 20s, our social network is likely to be thriving. We have new people coming into our lives all the time, be it colleagues from a new job, or the extra circles of friends and family of a new romantic partner. Then, as we enter our 30s, it all begins to change. We no longer have the time nor the energy to nurture all our friendships and people drop from our lives like flies. Since we need social support to feel happier, this change can have a detrimental effect on our well-being. However, as we move into our 50s, older & wiser, we begin to put more effort into the people in our lives, strengthening our friendships.

Life events are like traffic. When the road is empty, it is easier to drive. As soon as it becomes busy, it is harder to cope. Research shows that both traumatic events and daily hassles are at their highest level when we reach midlife. Thereafter, they begin to slow down, as we learn how to cope with them more effectively. And we become happier as a result.

It feels good to be able to predict what is going to happen next. It gives us a sense of mastery over our environment and fills us with the confidence that we can tackle anything that life throws at us. As we move along the years, we become better at foreseeing the consequences of our, and other people’s behaviors and become skilled at planning the best action to maneuver through life challenges. Each day teaches us new life skills – and they make it easier for us to feel happier.