“Those about to enter their 30s may want to sit down for this. A new study suggests you won’t be as happy as you are now for about another four decades.” …
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/10/02/happiest-before-age-30/
At first I was tempted to say, well, Duh! Youth, beauty, no major responsibilities, no encumbrances, all possibilities ahead in one’s '20s.
But then, I think back on some work-obsessed and lonely aspects of those years and wonder if my happiest time of life wasn’t early motherhood, when I took time off from a demanding job. We also happened to live abroad at the time, in an idyllic place, with low-cost household help, so that probably had something to do with my sense of utter contentment.
I have been happier at every new decade. I don’t have a need to look back at the good ole days, because I have always felt like NOW is my happiest time.
Maybe I’m not the norm, but I question that article.
Nrdsb, I feel the same way. Sure, my face is not the same as it used to be, but who cares?! 
Frankly, I don’t really trust statistics without context, or surveys for that matter, to answer questions like this. Context matters, and personally I would expect that the stability that comes with greater age to be preferable to the somewhat uncertain period of time that characterizes the earlier years.
I agree with @Nrdsb4 on this issue.
gulp it’s all downhill from here until I’m in my 70s? That’s depressing.
Romani, you can join the club of outliers.
Baloney. College is hard, for many young people. Then grad school is worst. Even if one has a g/f or b/f, no,predicting where the other will end up. Long term relationships can end because of career goals. I think the 20s are tough. So much to figure out, career goals, locations, future spouse, s
Etc. bless the 30s.
Don’t worry, BB. I don’t buy into these kinds of things. Just like how I hope to Zeus that my wedding day was NOT the happiest day of my life. I absolutely refuse to peak at 24. It has GOT to get better than this grad school shenanigans of 5 hours of sleep a night if I’m lucky.
On a related note, I’ve told Mr. R that if he wants to have kids, he has to build me a soundproof bedroom so I can sleep through nights. I joke that the PhD is my baby and that it’s what will support the human baby that he wants. I just haven’t decided whether or not I’m kidding about the soundproof room thing 
I can’t relate to the article’s premise at all. My 20s were full of anxiety. My 30s passed in an exhausting blur. I liked my 40s; I had nothing to prove anymore and some major life questions were answered.
I dunno, I was not all that happy in grade school, but things have gotten better most of the time since. I can’t pick out one time in my life and say THOSE were the happy days since I have mostly been happy, most of my life. I haven’t read the article and with a premise like that, don’t intend to. Each new decade has brought new excitement, happiness, and yes, challenges and sadness. It seems silly to say one time period is happier or better than another, personally.
I would say my twenties were the worst decade of my life, narrowly edging out my teens. I did well academically in undergrad and grad school, but socially I was a big zero. I never found school enjoyable at any level, although I didn’t mind grad school. Career wise I was on my way up, but that’s about all I had. 2-3 years between dates was no fun. Since I didn’t necessarily look like someone who would have trouble getting dates most folks assumed it was due to lack of trying (when in fact it was mostly due to extreme social anxiety). I met my wife right before I turned 31, and the last 20 years have been pretty good.
TRUE. STORY.
College was pretty easy for me, but I did experience some depression and anxiety and some confusion trying to define myself and figure out my identity. Grad school was the worst. And I was in for 6 years. I’m much happier now at 29 than I ever was at 21 - I’m confident in my own skin, I don’t care what other people think of me, I’m not in school anymore and I have a stable job and a place to live and a long-term relationship and good deep friendships. I feel like those are not things that are easy to establish in your 20s, particularly your early 20s when you may be transient. I look forward to my 30s!
I feel each decade is good, or at least I tell myself that- funny- I feel the same way with D’s, each time period I enjoy.
I have had some of the most streeful times of my life in last 7-8 years. I’m so glad to hear that it is going to improve when I turn 65. A flip of the switch and I’m gettin happier!!
But the getting happier after 65 dies not mesh well with statistics that suggest that suicide rates increase for people in the later years of their life. I do not remember at what age the suicide rate increases.
The best years were when my kids were both younger than 10. So maybe in my 30s to early 40s.
I friggin hate studies like this where you feel like you are being told how things are going to go before they have even happened…
My twenties were good. I had just finished grad school. I was single with a professional’s salary, had a smart flat in the city and a hip convertible roadster. The most pressing issue my friends & I had was which new restaurant to try that weekend.
The icing on the cake was that I had a 20 year old’s booty, too.
This is not my field, but I’ve read a few papers in the area. Happiness (or subjective well-being in the economics literature) is generally found in studies to be highest from 50-75 but a number of studies show a U-shape. A modest decline after age 22 coming back to that level around 50. This study (http://www.ncer.edu.au/papers/documents/WPNo26R.pdf)posits that the same underlying traits that “make it more likely that you will have a higher income, a job, a partner, better health, greater wealth, and a higher level of education” also make you happier. Since these are hidden, the do some voodoo econometrics and adjust for this reverse causality. After the adjustment, subjective well-being is flat or increases with age from 20-50 and then you get the big increase thereafter. This study also shows happiness increasing with age. (http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2015-40630-001/). I’m not sure how to judge the methodological issues here (haven’t turned my brain to think about them) but it is not clear that there is a big dropoff at age 22.
It does appear that there is a big decline in happiness at around 80 or so.
My 20s were the worst decade of my life – the car accident that killed my mother when I was 20; a difficult law school experience; continual health problems with half a dozen hospital stays; a non-existent social life, and so on. And my body may have been young, but I had other reasons for being unhappy with it in addition to my poor health. Feh!