If you’re 30 years old and feel less happy than you did when you were 20, science says you’re not alone. If you’re 40 years old and feel less happy than when you were 30, science says you’re also not alone.
And if you’re 47.2 years old and feel less happy than you did when you were 40, recent research says you’re definitely not alone.
Why? Research conducted by Dartmouth professor David Blanchflower on hundreds of thousands of people in 132 countries shows that people around the world experience an inverted, U-shaped “happiness curve.”
Starting at age 18, your happiness level begins to decrease, reaching peak unhappiness at 47.2 in developed countries and 48.2 in developing countries.
The bad news is you’re unlikely to feel as happy as you did when you were 18 until you’re in your mid-60s. (Eek.)
Money isn’t really a factor. According to Blanchflower, “The curve’s trajectory holds true in countries where the median wage is high and where it is not,” he says.
Nor are a few other socioeconomic drivers. After studying fifteen measures of unhappiness — anxiety, despair, sleeplessness, sadness, depression, fatigue, tension, strain, etc. — controlling for factors like employment status and education stil resulted in the inverted U-shape happiness curve.
