A team of researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found that so-called 'grumpy old' men and women, do in fact enjoy life far more than younger adults.
A study into the links between age and social satisfaction has revealed how much older adults, age 66 to 91, and younger adults, age 18 to 30, get out of life - and the results will come as a surprise.
Professor Bill von Hippel, from UQ's School of Psychology, in collaboration with Dr. Julie Henry and student Diana Matovic from UNSW, measured social activities and social satisfaction in both groups and found that while younger adults are far more socially active they were no happier with their social lives than older adults.
Professor von Hippel says despite older people engaging in fewer social activities with others and spending more time alone each day, they are just as socially satisfied as their younger counterparts and this social resilience appears to be down to how older and younger adults perceive their social activities.
He says the research suggests that if a young person and an old person have the same experience, the older adult is likely to find it more uplifting and older adults appear to see the good things in life more easily and are less likely to be upset by the little things that go wrong.
Professor von Hippel says consequently their daily experiences bring them just as much satisfaction as younger adults, even if they have lost friends or a spouse, or if they can no longer get out as much as they would like.
The professor says older people are more positive in general than younger adults and one possible reason may be the gradual shrinking of the amygdala, a part of the brain that controls negative emotions such as fear and anger, and this may slowly release older people from the stress associated with daily life.
Professor von Hippel speculates that this may be the wisdom of ageing and the ability to experience everyday life as uplifting.
The researchers say the message is that old age is not necessarily an unhappy time as older people seem better able to accept life and are more satisfied with it.
The research is published in the June issue of the American Psychological Association journal Psychology and Aging.
