Forget the notion of becoming old and grumpy – a new survey has found that Kiwis over 55 are twice as likely to be feeling awesome than those under 30!
A report from AUT University’s human potential centre says the finding is good news for those growing old in New Zealand.
The centre surveyed more than 10,000 New Zealanders, supported by life insurance company Sovereign and reported that 42 per cent of those aged 65 or more made it into the highest of three wellbeing brackets.
These results were markedly higher than the under 35 age group, where only 19 per cent featured.
The key points to maintaining well-being at an older age were:
- Positive relationships
- Autonomy
- Active community engagement and
- Keeping a clear sense of purpose – whether retired or still in the workforce.
- Being married or in some other strong personal relationship also helped.
According to professor Grant Schofield, who led the research, the main condition for happiness among older people was retaining good health.
“They all say the same thing – life gets better. The only proviso to that is if you’re not healthy. But if you keep your health, it’s awesome.”
He said this generation has enjoyed a long run of favourable circumstances, no significant war, outbreak of ill health or financial collapse.
“Long may it continue.”
He was intrigued by a finding that 49 per cent of those still working at ages 65 to 74 fell into the highest well-being bracket, compared with just 39 per cent of those in that age group who had retired earlier.
The report also highlighted the importance of voluntary unpaid work for the mental health of older people.
It found that although those aged 65 to 74 tended to have more physical health problems than those aged 55 to 64, they had lower rates of psychological conditions such as depression.
Join the Discussion
Type out your comment here:
You must be logged in to post a comment.