Happiness in poorer countries does not follow the typical U-shaped curve. People are often happiest in middle age
Happiness over one's lifetime as looking like a U-shaped curve: The joys of youth are followed by the challenges of our 20s and 30s before an upswing later in life that reaches a peak after retirement.
While that may be true—or not—in wealthier countries such as the United States, it doesn't apply to low-income, nonindustrialized societies. That is the main finding of a study I led that examined in 23 countries across the Global South. And our results have implications for global health amid aging populations and growing economic insecurity.
In , we found that happiness levels did not consistently follow the U-shaped trajectory commonly observed in industrialized societies. In some cases there was a U-shape. But more often we observed an inverted U-shape, where middle-aged adults reported the highest level of happiness, or no significant age-related trend at all.
Overall, well-being often declined after middle age among resource-poor populations lacking social security and other institutionalized forms of protection. This aligns with among and even of .
That being said, age itself was a weak predictor of life satisfaction everywhere. Sickness, disability and loss in productivity do a better job of explaining well-being than age. In fact, the few positive effects of age we did find usually disappeared when including measures of these misfortunes in our analysis.
Along with other developments showing , my research challenges the assumption that the U-shaped happiness curve is universal. The trend showing that average well-being improves after middle age might be more typical of urban, affluent societies with formal retirement and strong safety nets for older adults. By examining a broader range of settings, we gain insight into how environmental and socioeconomic factors shape well-being over a lifespan, offering a more nuanced perspective on happiness that could guide policies for different age groups and cultures.
I believe understanding well-being across diverse cultures is crucial, especially amid . By reconsidering the determinants of happiness outside the U-shaped model, we're all better positioned to improve quality of life for different populations worldwide.
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