The Happiness Curve and Aging

My dad recently turned 80 and he is one of the happiest people I've met - far from the often hot-tempered man who raised me. He actually talks about having a shorter time left on earth with calmness and a smile on his face! Got me to thinking and, of course, researching and reading. Come across this article to start: Psychology Today's "How People Stay Hopeful and Happy After Age 80." This led me to Jonathan Rauch's book The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better after 50. (We have a copy of the audiobook, message Tess to ask for a link to a copy of it). There's lots of YouTube videos that give a good discussion of it - here's one that covers it well: Politics and Prose, "Jonathan Rauch, 'The Happiness Curve'"

In this discussion time we'll discuss the science that Rauch discusses with a look at the aging process and what it means for how we think about becoming older. In a few weeks we'll take up the side of happiness in youth.