This isn’t the first time some survey has hit the news that shows that people are happier when they’re over 50 compared to youth.
VOGUE – At What Age Do We Feel Happiest? The Answer May Surprise You By Jeanne Ballion March 14, 2025 After analyzing the results, the researchers found that there’s a certain age when people are happiest: 70. They also found that happiness across lifespan exists on a spectrum of valleys and peaks over time: Satisfaction with life declines between ages nine and 16, rises to reach its peak at age 70, then declines again until age 96 (the oldest age recorded in the study). “Overall, the study shows a positive trend over a large period of life, if we consider life satisfaction and negative emotional states,” says Bücker, who notes that by the age of 70, most people are less preoccupied with career and material matters, and have more time for themselves and their loved ones. Plus, these wiser septuagenarians feel that the most difficult and stressful experiences in life are behind them, while a sense of accomplishment helps lessen daily anxiety.
It’s also clear why older people have been found to be happier. It’s largely about being relieved from all sorts of arbitrary burdens. That’s why the so-called “happiness curve” just gets lost in noise globally. It will be lost in the US too if the right-wing gets their way and cuts Social Security and Medicare when we should be expanding these things so that everyone has a chance to live free and happy.
My letter to reps:
Social Security must be expanded. I think the age of 67 for my age group is far too old, especially for those of us who’ve got physical problems from working physical jobs in our youth, and people who have lived for years without health insurance and the provided preventative care. Cutting Social Security is unacceptable. Seniors deserve to live with dignity.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose for your own letters to reps.