<p>Richard Rose used to challenge his wife, Joyce, if he thought she was misstating something, but these days he lets it go…</p>
<p>At age 87, he’s found that as people get older, they tend to “mellow out” when it comes to arguments. These days, devoting time each day to swimming and reading, Rose feels happier than he did in his 40s.</p>
<p>Rose’s experiences reflect findings presented over the weekend at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, Canada. Researchers suggested that, generally, people in their 80s and 90s are happier than younger people.</p>
<p>“Older people are better able to recognize what will bother them, and better able to negotiate their environment,” said Susan Turk Charles, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine.</p>
<p>People ages 80 and older are the fastest-growing portion of the population in many countries, according to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Globally, this age group will grow 233 percent between 2008 and 2040, while the total population will increase 33 percent in the same time period, the report said.</p>
<p>A Pew Research Center study found that the happiest men are ages 60 to 69, while the least happy are ages 20 to 29.With the exception of those with age-dementia, mental health tends to improve as people get older, researchers said at the APA meeting. "
[More</a> happiness may come with age, studies say - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/11/happiness.emotion.age/index.html]More”>More happiness may come with age, studies say - CNN.com)</p>