People get more optimistic as they get older (and stop being afraid of ageing, too)

If you’re worried about how you’ll cope with getting old, perhaps you shouldn’t be – older people seem to be tougher and more optimistic than their younger selves.

In fact, people tend to get more optimistic as they get older – and are even optimistic about facing the problems of old age, such as declining health and memory loss.

Researchers interviewed people in their 30s and in their 70s – and found that while more than half of thirty-somethings were worried about getting old, 66% of seventy-somethings were fine with it.

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‘The younger generation is less optimistic,’ said Dr. Zia Agha, chief medical officer at West Health.

‘Perhaps as they age they will build resilience and they build the capacity that will help them cope better.’

The researchers also found that, as people age, they gradually become more confident – rather than helpless – about ageing, and about assessing their household finances positively.

People also noted an increase in quality of life as they moved from their 50s into their 60s and beyond, the University of Chicago researchers found.