Wisdom of Aging Explained

Although younger adults engage in a lot more social activities, they are no happier with their social lives than older adults, Australian researchers said.

Bill von Hippel of the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology, in collaboration with Julie Henry and Diana Matovic from the University of New South Wales, measured social activities and social satisfaction in older adults between the ages of 66 and 91, and younger adults between the ages of 18 and 30.

Despite older people engaging in fewer social activities with others and spending more time alone each day, they are just as socially satisfied as their younger counterparts, von Hippel said in a statement.

Our research suggests that if a young person and an old person have the same experience, the older adult is likely to find it more uplifting — as a consequence, their daily experiences bring them just as much satisfaction as younger adults, even if they have lost friends or a spouse, or if they can no longer get out as much as they would like.

This may be the wisdom of aging, the ability to experience everyday life as uplifting, the researchers said.

The research was published in the June issue of the journal Psychology and Aging.