Women Rowing North

Many studies show that happiness increases with age.

Your younger years may not be your best ones. A Brookings Institution study from 2014 showed that happiness increases after people’s early 40s. Women find increasing pleasure in life around the age of 55, and happiness grows thereafter. 

In the United Kingdom, the happiest members of the population are women between 65 and 79 years old. Women express greater joy than men as they age.

Happiness is a skill that requires cultivation.

Framing your experiences to find the gratitude they provide you helps build joy. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky found that happiness is 50% genetics. The rest comes from behavior, outlook and situation. Being grateful helps. Serving those in need shifts your focus away from your troubles.

Believing that happiness is possible provides you with a coping mechanism. A realistic assessment of a problem means finding new strengths to help you work it out. Many worries are unnecessary and lead to increased stress.

Women suffer from ageism more than men.

The culture demeans older women by mocking their bodies and sexuality...