Happiness actually may increase with age. It may be unfathomable for some young people to think of their grandparents as being happier than they are, but research shows that Americans actually get happier as they age despite their health conditions and other problems that arise.

How do our levels of happiness change as we age?

In general, people seem to begin their lives with a high degree of contentment. From the age of around 18, we become gradually less happy, reaching a nadir in our 40s. One estimate suggests that over the 30 years from teen to middle age, life satisfaction scores dip by an average of around 5-10%.

How does happiness differ with age?

Happiness varies with age, but there is no general agreement regarding the feature of the variation. Many studies have found that it is U-shaped such that there is a minimum between approximately 40 and 50 years of age. The result largely depends on the control variables used in the happiness modeling.