Sure there are pains, physical and emotional. Sure, there WILL BE pain, and suffering and whatnot but if you ask seniors – those who are past midlife crisis, mind you – will tell you, growing old and gray isn’t so bad, certainly not as bad as we imagined it to be. In fact, when you reach a certain age, when you feel you’ve already done your part and just awaiting for the right time to go, you’ll feel content and best of all, happy.

While seniors are usually not pretty things to look at, there are joys in growing old – real joys – similar to that of what you had when you were younger but this time around, you possess maturity to go along with that blissful feeling. If you ask me, ageing holds the way to the kind of happiness you spent half your life searching for.

I don’t know about you but I noticed I am quick to let go of bad vibes now than 10 years ago. When I was younger, you don’t just mess with me but now, I have the tendency to let things pass especially if they will only bring about stress. I don’t confront people now, instead I talk it out with them and try to really listen.

Ever heard of the U-bend? It was believed that happiness is like a U-bend, highest points being the happiest and age is a factor. U-bend explains that people are at their happiest during their childhood and golden years but they are at their lowest point midlife. This may come as surprising for many especially those who are still nearing retirement and have yet to experience the happy feeling that comes with age but really, it’s quite understandable. Seniors, like I said, have already learned life’s lessons and more or less know how to deal with things which lessens the stress and emotional burden. Aside from that, the expectations are lesser and the obligations are lighter. These things alone are reason enough for seniors to be happy and content with their lives.

Your social life also plays a very significant role in your overall happiness, no matter what your age is. Young or old, studies show that a person who has friends or at the very least, sees and mingles with people regularly is mostly happy and content than those who seldom go out and interact with others, this is especially true for seniors who have mobility problems. Kids and pets at home prove to be a huge factor in a person’s level of happiness too however, fulltime caregiving to both kids and pets showed that these can trigger everyday stress as well.