Here’s a cool chart. It measures happiness by age and comes from the National Academy of Sciences via an article in The Atlantic.

I wonder what causes the uptick? Acceptance of one’s self? Seeing your kids “launch” into the world? Wisdom? Being grateful for the basic things, such as food, shelter, health and family/friends?

I feel my average contentment rises with age. Some days are phenomenal. A few days truly suck. And, most are in the middle. But, the average rating is rising. I think a part of it is that I intentionally am targeting to live a “simple and simplified” life. I try to place less weight on material possessions and more on relationships and experiences.

I’ve also consciously tried to give less power to other people. Sounds weird, but I no longer try to let people ruin my day. It isn’t easy, but I don’t want to abdicate my well-being to someone else, who has a different agenda than I do and is someone whom I do not control. The best and only thing I can do is decide how I respond to adversity and to choose to see the bright side.

You can click here to read the article. Fascinating stuff.