The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better Later with Jonathon Rauch

So many of us expect to become less happy as we age, BUT science says you couldn’t be more wrong - you’ll likely become happier as you get into old age, you’ll be more content and more able to live in the present moment.

This phenomenon is called the happiness curve and it’s a concept that award winning journalist Jonathon Rauch is incredibly passionate about.

Jonathan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and the author of The Happiness Curve, Why Life Gets Better After 50.

So what does the research say, how can we avoid the midlife crisis we hear so much about & how might the happiness curve help us to reframe the way we approach aging?

CONNECT WITH US
Connect with ⁠That's Helpful on Instagram.
Find Jonathon on Twitter⁠ & via his website.

BOOKS
The Happiness Curve, Why Life Gets Better After 50

Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - thatshelpful@edstott.com

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:16 - How did Jonathon discover the happiness curve?

00:04:45 - How does the happiness curve play out in different countries?

00:07:24 - The forecasting error

00:13:13 - Why so many of us feel ashamed of the midlife slump

00:17:37 - Step don’t leap

00:23:35 - How to overcome the time trap of the happiness curve

00:26:26 - The happiness curve is fuelled by false assumptions around age

00:31:21 - It isn’t just teenagers who go through transitional times of life

00:33:31 - The power in giving yourself time to reset

00:35:51 - The things that truly bring life satisfaction

00:38:12 - The one thing to remember