Health Issue: Happiness begins at 50

Happiness begins at 50

London: For many, the age of 50 may be the beginning of the end, but a group of scientists claim the good life begins only when people reach their fifties.

          Despite increased risk of death and disease, people in their fifties worry less, ignore the negatives and accentuate the positives, according to scientists at Stony Brook University, New York.

          The researchers said that when people reach the landmark age, their stress, anger and worry fade gradually and feelings of happiness start to surge. Arthur Stone, one of the authors of the study. said their findings were "striking".

          "You'd think that as chronic illness threatens life would get worse but that is not the case as people don't focus on the threats, " he said. "They focus on the good things like family and friends."

           The experts surveyed over 340,000 men and women in US aged between 18 to 85. Stress and anger reduced after people reached their early 20s with worry declining after the age of fifty. they said. The only feeling that remained constant was that of sadness.