The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50

“Having parented successfully in the past may rank as a satisfying accomplishment retrospectively; but the bulk of research finds that being a parent, while it is happening, does not increase life satisfaction and may reduce it.”

“You don’t know how much of both love and anger you are capable of feeling until you’re a parent,”

“Everywhere that I have studied happiness some very simple patterns hold: a stable marriage, good health, and enough (but not too much) income are good for happiness. Unemployment, divorce, and economic instability are terrible for happiness—everywhere that happiness is studied.”

“Those who look to parenthood as a solution to their discontent will typically find that the rewards, though real, are some years in the future.”

“people don’t always understand their own true desires and feelings, and, even if they do, they might not give a straight answer.”

“The curve seems to be imprinted on us as a way to repurpose us for a changing role in society as we age, a role that is less about ambition and competition, and more about connection and compassion.”

“Deeper satisfaction comes not from feeling good, he taught, but from doing good: from cultivating and maintaining virtuous habits that balance one’s own life and create and deepen ties with others.”