How people feel, on average, most of the time, wherever they live in the world.
People are most active in their search for meaning in life at these two ages.
People are most active in their search for meaning in life at these two ages.
People search most actively for meaning in life in their twenties and then again after reaching their sixties.
In their twenties, people are still finding themselves, searching out careers and relationships.
This can often be a relatively unhappy time for people, when feelings of depression and anxiety can peak.
Middle age typically (but not always) brings a period of stability in which the search for meaning decreases as people settle down and find their way in life.
People generally begin to feel happier through this middle period.
The search for meaning in life kicks in again after the age of 60 as retire looms and family and friends are starting to pass away.
The search for meaning is important for many reasons, explains Professor Dilip V. Jeste, study co-author:
“Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective, but meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity.
Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.”
The conclusions come from a study of 1,042 people who were interviewed about the meaning they experienced in life along with other key measures.
The results revealed a U-shaped connection between the search for meaning in life and age.
Professor Jeste explained:
“When you are young, like in your twenties, you are unsure about your career, a life partner and who you are as a person.
You are searching for meaning in life.
As you start to get into your thirties, forties and fifties, you have more established relationships, maybe you are married and have a family and you’re settled in a career.
The search decreases and the meaning in life increases.
After age 60, things begin to change.
People retire from their job and start to lose their identity.
They start to develop health issues and some of their friends and family begin to pass away.
They start searching for the meaning in life again because the meaning they once had has changed.”
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Aftab et al., 2019).
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Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists, but does that make you happier?
Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists, but does that make you happier?
Realists are significantly happier than both pessimists and optimists in the long-run.
Pessimism and optimism are personality traits that lie at opposite ends of a spectrum.
Realists, meanwhile, sit halfway in between, occupying the middle ground.
Optimists may suffer in the long-term because they are often disappointed.
The regular disappointment can end up being a stronger emotion than the pleasure gained from anticipating positive outcomes.
The most optimistic people are 13.5 percent less happy than realists, the study found.
Around 80 percent of people are thought to be optimists.
The problem for pessimists is perhaps more obvious: they are constantly dreading the worst.
This dread can overtake any benefits gained from things turning out better than expected.
The most pessimistic people are 21.8 percent less happy than realists, the study also found.
Both optimists and pessimists make decisions based on biased false beliefs.
Dr Chris Dawson, study co-author, said:
“Plans based on inaccurate beliefs make for poor decisions and are bound to deliver worse outcomes than would rational, realistic beliefs, leading to lower well-being for both optimists and pessimists.
Particularly prone to this are decisions on employment, savings and any choice involving risk and uncertainty.
I think for many people, research that shows you don’t have to spend your days striving to think positively might come as a relief.
We see that being realistic about your future and making sound decisions based on evidence can bring a sense of well-being, without having to immerse yourself in relentless positivity.”
The study included 1,601 people who were tracked for over 18 years.
They reported their life satisfaction and any psychological distress each year.
People were also asked about their finances and their tendency to over- or under-estimate them.
The results showed that realists were most satisfied with their lives (life satisfaction is a measure of overall happiness, in contrast to momentary pleasure).
The study was published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (de Meza & Dawson, 2020).
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Acting out this personality trait makes people feel happier.
Acting out this personality trait makes people feel happier.
Acting like an extravert makes people feel happier — even natural introverts.
Both extraverts and introverts report greater well-being after a week spent being more talkative, assertive and spontaneous.
It is the first study to report the benefits of acting like an extravert over such an extended period.
The study also demonstrates that people who are naturally introverted can enjoy this exercise as much as extraverts.
‘Faux’ extraverts (people who are really introverts) reported no problems acting as extraverts.
Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, the study’s first author, said:
“The findings suggest that changing one’s social behavior is a realizable goal for many people, and that behaving in an extraverted way improves well-being.”
For the study, 123 people were asked to act like extraverts for one week and introverts for another week.
During the extravert week, participants were told to be talkative, assertive and spontaneous.
During the introvert week, they were told to be more deliberate, quiet and reserved.
People were informed that acting like an introvert and like an extravert is beneficial.
This was to try and dampen the effects of participants’ expectations.
The results showed that people felt better after a week acting as an extravert and worse after the week as an introvert.
The positive effect on well-being is the largest known among happiness interventions.
Surprisingly, acting like an extravert seems to cause people’s personality to shift in that direction.
Professor Lyubomirsky said:
“It showed that a manipulation to increase extraverted behavior substantially improved well-being.
Manipulating personality-relevant behavior over as long as a week may be easier than previously thought, and the effects can be surprisingly powerful.”
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (Margolis & Lyubomirsky, 2019).
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