Middle age by comparison is the time where lifes burdens take on the greatest prominence.
Stress, anxiety, and fear diminish with age.
Friends, family, and community are the hallmarks of finding happiness, the study revealed.
Relationships become a central feature and a source of purpose and joy as people age, particularly in retirement.
Even as people in their 80s realize they might need support, they want and expect to live independently.
Centenarians may be esteemed, but a fulfilling life isnt about counting candles on a birthday cake.
Despite medicines obsession with prolonging life, people are not overly concerned with how long they will live.
As they age, this concern continues to diminish.
Instead, individuals are more in tune with the quality of their lives.
A long life should be gratifying, not simply a march through time, they feel.
That doesnt mean people arent taking steps for good health.
So, one thing that I make a run at do is remain healthy.
I like to travel with my wife.
Health is a mindset.
Financial concerns wane with age.
And retirement allows for greater control of daily life.
Retirement, already planned for, allows older adults to choose how they spend their time.
In lifes second half, wealth and retirement concerns are secondary to health concerns.
And again, such concerns peak in the 60s before actually falling in the 70s.
They get in the way of doing everything that I want to do.
But few people at 73 are able to do everything they want to do.
Of course, you got your standouts, the biathlon or the joggers.
I want to enjoy life, not kill myself trying to get through it.
In February and March 2022, 25 individual 30-minute interviews were conducted virtually with adults age 40 and older.
For more information, yo contact Vicki Levy atvlevy@aarp.org.
For media inquiries, hey contact External Relations atmedia@aarp.org.
