Men Happier Than Women

The myth of the male mid-life crisis has been dispelled by a transatlantic team of researchers comparing degrees of happiness throughout the adult lives of men and women. It seems 20-something men are saddest but the 40s bring feelings of satisfaction in love, family, and finances.

Women, however, are happiest when youngest and life seems full of opportunity. By the time a woman reaches her mid-40s, unfulfilled desires and aspirations take their toll on her happiness.

Using data that spans decades, Anke Plagnol, University of Cambridge, and Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California, reviewed study materials pertaining to a person’s desires, aspirations, and sense of well-being to chart happiness peaks and valleys from generation to generation and to compare happiness between the genders.

According to the study, 90% of both men and women start adult life with one common goal in mind - to have a happy marriage. Satisfaction in love and family life were found to be key elements in determining happiness at various stages in life. The other key element to happiness in life is peace with one’s financial situation.

The study maps happiness throughout life as follows:

The 20s - Women are happiest but men are the saddest, perhaps because men in their 20s are the least likely to be married and their careers are in the beginning stages, with the expectation of higher earnings coming later in life.

The 30s - Men are more likely to be married after age 34, which is also when they seem to become happier with their lives. Their careers are usually becoming more financially successful at this time, too, bringing more happiness with more spending power.

The 40s - By 41, men are generally more satisfied with their financial situations than women are. By 48, men’s overall level of happiness in life surpasses that of women.

At around age 64 men become more happy with their family lives than women of the same age. Women usually experience greater degrees of happiness with their families at an earlier age.

The Pagnol and Easterlin study is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

Source: University of Southern California

Filed under: Lifestyle, Medical Research, Women's Health