Happiness in Old Age

There’s a lot of information out there about how to live to old age. Get your calcium, stay active, keep your brain sharp, etc… but when you get to old age, how do you stay happy?

Some psychologists think they’ve found the key: an active social life.

Maintaining an active social life, even when your health begins to fail you, might be the secret to a long and HAPPY life.

Researchers evaluated data from more than 2,900 now-deceased participants in a nationwide German Socio-Economic Panel Study, a nationally representative annual longitudinal survey of  30,000 adult residents in former West Germany from 1984 to 2013 and former East Germany from 1990 to 2013.

The SOEP collected information annually on many aspects of participants lives, including their employment, occupations, earnings, health and satisfaction indicators.

Researchers found that participation in both social activity and social goals were linked with higher well-being later in life.

According to those researchers, valuing social pursuits could contribute to well-being by increasing feelings of ability, concern for the next generation and belonging.

Also, dedicating your energies to social activities could be beneficial by promoting physical and mental function as well as nurturing a sense of self-esteem and control.

So, there you have it! Once you reach a wonderfully ripe-old age, one of the keys to retaining your happiness is staying social!