Australian Institute of Family Studies report reveals our happiness through the ages

A NEW study reveals people are unsatisfied with life in their early 20s to mid-30s, with those feelings stabilising in our 40s and dipping in our 50s.

Pictured at home in Northbridge today is Lorraine Jensen with her daughter Simone Kelly and Grandchildren Patrick 10, Nicholas 8 and Tim 2. Picture: Tim Hunter.

THEY certainly are the golden years.

A new Australian Institute of Family Studies report, released today, reveals people are commonly unsatisfied with life in their early 20s to mid-30s, with those feelings stabilising in our 40s and dipping in our 50s, before we experience our happiest times from our 60s to 80s.

Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, the study tracked the life satisfaction of almost 27,000 Australians for up to 12 years.

Senior Research Fellow David de Vaus said the study examined what happened to people’s outlook as they moved from the aspirations of youth and through some of the challenges of later life.

“Overall, we found that there was a sharp decline in life satisfaction from the age of 15 to the early-20s, followed by a further gradual decline from the early-20s to the mid-30s,” Professor de Vaus said. “People experienced stable but lower satisfaction with life from the mid-30s to the early 50s, the period of lowest life satisfaction.

“From the early-50s life satisfaction begins to improve both steadily and substantially until the late-60s, and from the late-60s to the early-80s life satisfaction remains steady and high, near the highest of any time in life.”

Starting to live with a partner was linked with a marked increase in life satisfaction for both men and women, typically sustained over the next six years before a decline after the birth of a child — which was reversed when the child turned five.

Study co-author and AIFS Senior Research Fellow Lixia Qu said some of the results were surprising: “Some of the big shifts in people’s lives weren’t necessarily the ones we’ve come to expect.

“Leaving the parental home, becoming an empty nester, or entering retirement appears not to affect people’s life satisfaction greatly. However the excitement of starting a new life with a partner and having a child did make people more satisfied with life.”

Northbridge 66-year-old Lorraine Jensen has four children and six grandchildren, and said every life stage brought different forms of happiness. “I believe we have happy and sad moments in any stage,” she said.

“Now I am in a very good place and am happy, although three of my grandchildren have moved to Canada so I am missing them and that makes me unhappy.

“At this age you do have more flexibility and there’s not as much pressure, and your outlook is different.

“You live for today and enjoy what you’ve got because every day is a blessing.”