If You’re Happy and You Know It…You’re Probably a Senior

Revera Report on Happiness finds that older adults are positive about aging.

Want to be happier? Just wait. A survey of Canadian adults found that seniors (ages 66 and up) are the group most likely to agree that “aging means you are happier”. More than twice as many seniors say that than Gen Xers (ages 33-45) and Baby Boomers (46-65).

The results came in the Revera Report on Happiness. Revera Inc. – a Canadian leader in seniors accommodation, care and services – developed the study in partnership with the International Federation on Ageing. Leger Marketing conducted the survey, as part of a series of research reports that Revera is publishing on the aging experience.

As the Revera Report on Happiness found, 65% of seniors are happy with their life, and 57% are optimistic about aging. That feeling only increases with age; 62% of the 75-plus group feels positive about getting older. In fact, 42% of those older seniors say “the best is yet to come”.

“There are many ways people live their lives to the fullest well into their later years,” says Jeff Lozon, Revera’s President and CEO. “We see this every day with the people we serve.”

What exactly is making Canadian seniors so optimistic about aging? Among the things they’re looking forward to: number one, being comfortable in their own skin (68%); number two, being surrounded by friends and family (62%); and number three, having time to do things that are important to them (61%).

While the Revera Report on Happiness focused on Canadian seniors, a U.S. Gallup study discovered that American seniors too say they’re happier as they age. That study of 340,000 adults, found that people are even more content with their lives at age 85 than they were at 18. Specifically, stress, worry and anger all decline. At the same time, enjoyment increases after age 50. The Gallup results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Revera Report on Happiness found that not only are Gen Yers (18-32) and Gen Xers not particularly happy with their lives, they’re also pessimistic about aging. Among those two age groups, just 25% are optimistic about getting older. More than any other generations, those younger groups think of people 75-plus as “dependent”, “grumpy” or “frail”. The 75-plus group knows better; 70% of them say age is just is number.

“We need to view aging with optimism, and treat older adults as vibrant and valued contributors to society,” says Dr. Amy D’Aprix, a gerontologist.

She says the results in the Revera Report on Happiness challenge some “ageist stereotypes” and give younger generations an important message: “Getting older is not a negative thing.”

For information please visit http://www.reveraliving.com/Home.aspx?lang=en-CA