I once interviewed Karl Pillemer, the Cornell sociologist and author of “30 Lessons for Living:
He’d seen numerous studies showing that people in their 70s, 80s, and beyond were far happier than younger people.
He was intrigued: “I keep meeting older people — many of whom had lost loved ones,
been through tremendous difficulties, and had serious health problems
but who nevertheless were deeply fulfilled and enjoying life. I found myself asking
It occurred to him that maybe they see and understand things that younger people
But to Pillemer’s surprise, no one had conducted a study on what practical advice older people
The older the respondent,” Pillemer found, “the more likely [they were] to say that life passes
When elders say that life is short, they’re not being pessimistic.
They’re trying to offer a perspective that they hope will inspire better decisions — ones that prioritize
“I wish I knew this in my 30s instead of my 60s,” one man told Pillemer
“I would have had so much more time to enjoy life.”
Happiness is not a passive condition dependent on external events, nor is it the result of our personalities 😊😊