resenter: We all want to be happy, but how can we achieve this?

Social scientists have spent

decades trying to find accurate measures for life satisfaction, such as earnings, status, and
power. A more recent study looks at happiness, and how this changes throughout our lives.
Some of its findings may surprise you. To discuss them, we have lifestyle expert Marilyn in the
studio. Can you tell us a bit more about this research?

Marilyn: Thank you, yes... well, the research asked people about both their general happiness
and also their day-to-day happiness. The findings of the research paint a new picture that was
quite unexpected. They suggest that our happiness is greatest at the start and particularly, the
end of our lives – with a big dip during middle age. The results are quite controversial, because
they go against everything we read and see in the media. Films, advertising, and so on, tell us
that young people in their twenties and thirties are having the time of their lives. And of
course, this means that signs of ageing, physical or mental, should be avoided at all costs – in
other words, we should do all we can to look and feel 20 or 30, even if in fact we're 65! In fact,
the research shows the opposite to be true.

Presenter: So the older, the better?

Marilyn: Not quite... From the end of our teens, happiness drops, and continues to do so for
another twenty-five years. After around the age of 45, however, happiness rises, right until the
end of our lives, becoming far higher than the happiness levels of childhood.

Presenter: So pensioners in their 70s and 80s enjoy life more than children and teenagers?

Marilyn: Absolutely! And a lot more than people in their early adult years. And this result
surprised everyone, including the older research participants themselves. Some things, such as
the stresses of bringing up children or competing in the workplace, are no longer a problem for
older people. But they also change emotionally, and have more realistic expectations of life.
This suggests that happiness isn't just about what happens to you, but also how you react to it.

Presenter: And being a young adult or in early middle age is the hardest time of all?

Marilyn: Yes, and a number of factors contribute to this. In terms of life events, the period
from 25 to 45 is often the most challenging – people are raising children, at the most
demanding point in their careers, and perhaps dealing with the loss of their parents. But we
also worry more at this age, and this is possibly the single most significant factor in reducing
happiness.
Presenter: So in conclusion, we should all follow the advice, 'Don't worry, be happy'?

Marilyn: Yes, it sounds so simple, but it's true! Anxieties about exams, careers, the future – all
of these are the biggest enemies to personal happiness. The older we become, the better we
are at letting that worry go, and enjoying life as it really is.