Are You Happy? Study Says Unless You’re An Old, Republican Male, Probably Not!

And a new Pew Research Center survey about happiness shows that Americans grow happier as they age, even when the economy is not so hot, Yahoo News reports. It turns out that happiness is partly inherited, that Republicans are happier than Democrats, and that old men tend to be happier than old women.

And even before the economy got nasty, seniors were found to be generally happier than Baby Boomers. Some of that is due to the American Dream being lived by past generations, while Boomers work two jobs and watch the dream wither.

While not all seniors are weathering the recession well, for many the impact is much less severe than it is for younger people. Many people 65 and older had retired and downsized their lifestyles before the economy imploded, according to Pew analysts. Most aren’t raising kids and many are not so worried about being laid off. Loss of income can be, of course, a source of stress and displeasure.

The study that found Republicans to be happier than Democrats also showed that it held true even after adjusting for income.

It’s those age 50-64 who’ve “seen their nest eggs shrink the most and their anxieties about retirement swell the most,” the Pew survey found. It also finds that younger adults (ages 18-49) “have taken the worst lumps in the job market but remain relatively upbeat about their financial future.”

Other research has shown that happiness in old age depends largely on attitude factors such as optimism and coping strategies. Lastly, happiness inequality has decreased since the 1970’s. Americans are becoming more similar to each other on the happiness scale.