Research suggesting that older people are happier bodes well for radical life extension (credit: babasteve)
It’s hard to believe. But despite our culture’s emphasis on youth, young people aren’t all that happy.
In fact, the happiness trajectory is u-shaped. On average, we start life happy and get increasingly miserable until age 40. Then we get happier from about age 46, with the peak of happiness coming at age 74, according to recent research.
The explanation is essentially twofold: decreasing stresses after 46, and increasing perspective and emotional maturity. But what about beyond 74, particularly with demographics skewing older and the prospect of radical life extension?
Years ago, I advocated for radical life extension as the founder and editor of website Betterhumans.com. Back in 2002, conservative bioethicist Leon Kass rustled feathers with a pro-death, anti-life extension stance.
In light of the latest research, we may have more reason than ever to think that Kass is wrong, and that a longer-lived population would be a happier, wiser population.
Of course, 74 isn’t a radically life-extended age. But my hunch—and one I’d love to see tested—is that happiness declines from here are primarily related to declines in physical health. In this case, should radical life extension also mean radical health extension, the future’s looking like a happy place.
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