Four Benefits of Aging that you Need to Know

Getting old isn’t an unavoidable, negative side-effect of living longer; there are plenty of benefits of aging.

Older People are Happier

According to Smithsonian magazine, as we get older, we get happier. Cornell sociologist Karl Pillemer and his co-workers interviewed about 1,200 older people. They found that many people said something along these lines: “I wish I’d learned to enjoy life on a daily basis and enjoy the moment when I was in my 30s instead of my 60s.” Elderly interviewees described the last five or ten years as the happiest years of their lives.

There are more benefits of aging connected with the emotions. Not only are we happier, we’re less likely to get angry. Author Dr. Saverio Stranges, says, “This could be due to better coping abilities. Older people tend to have internal mechanisms to deal better with hardship or negative circumstances than those who are younger.” And another reason is that seniors may also be happier because aging makes you more comfortable with being yourself.

You Can Delay Retirement

According to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, there are 1.2 million people 75 and older who work full- or part-time. According to Smithsonian, scientists are finding that as we age, the mind gets sharper despite some losses. In a University of Illinois study, older air traffic controllers did an excellent job, despite some losses in short-term memory and visual spatial processing. That’s because they were experts at navigating and juggling multiple aircraft simultaneously to avoid collisions.

Make your Dreams Come True

Once we do retire, we have extra time. And it’s the perfect opportunity to do what we never did. Want to learn a new language? Learn how to play the piano? Write a novel? We need to dare to dream big and go for it.

Enjoy the Senior Discounts

The discounts offered to seniors can help us save money now that our income may be more limited. The discounts are there to give us the incentive to remain active: go out to eat; enjoy the movies, the museums; travel further for less. Not sure of something? Check out websites like SeniorDiscounts.com to help us locate businesses that offer senior discounts.