It’s a true quandary in our current times. With so much to be worried about (climate change, the future of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and political instability in our country and abroad), how is it possible to be happy and positive as the years go on? While many of us continue to feel the reverberations from the COVID pandemic, and some even continue to curtail their social engagement for fear of infection, research out of England seems to suggest that the majority of older adults have not only gone through COVID and all of the trials and tribulations it caused, but have come out the other side happier and more positive and purposeful than before the pandemic. According to research published in the journal Aging and Mental Health, while the well-being of many older adults declined during the pandemic, many, if not most, demonstrated resilience and now find themselves happier and more satisfied with their lives. A recent survey from AARP also confirms that the majority of older adults in our country are happy and optimistic about their own lives, though less so when it comes to our country and the world as a whole. Yet, given that many are left wondering what will happen to our families, our country, and the world in the coming years, how do you find happiness and fulfillment to currently live your life?

There are lots of suggestions to consider. The BBC, for example, recently published a list of 8 scientifically valid ways to stay happier this year.  What’s on the list? Advice ranges from embracing friendships and volunteering to “confelicity,” or sharing in the good news and happiness of another. An additional source of recommendation is the recent research published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B, which describes the concept of generativity, which means promoting the well-being of younger generations. What this research found was that older adults who practice generativity are generally more active, social, and happier in their later years. As one description of the research makes clear, “The best thing we can do for ourselves for our lives as we get older is to team up with folks who are younger!” So find some younger companions as a way to support your happiness.

Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and contributing writer at The Atlantic who has spent the past several years focused on studying happiness, recently published a post on the lesson he learned from his mother. As Brooks describes it, the concept his mother passed down to him was “savoring:” Be it a memory, a current situation, or a future anticipated experience. He points out scientific research that validates the value of savoring for achieving happiness. While our human bias is to always look for the negative (which can itself be savored and utilized for a positive learning experience), Brooks urges us to savor the good things in our lives, experiencing them both in the moment as well as for happier memories later on. So the next time you’ve planned a happy occasion, take a moment to savor the pleasure in that experience.

There is, however, a risk that if you try too hard to become happy, your efforts may be counterproductive. In essence, it’s known as the Happiness Paradox, and according to a recent study from the University of Toronto published in the journal Applied Psychology, relentlessly pursuing a state of happiness can be mentally exhausting, so much so that you may be left unable to make decisions that would further your happiness. In essence, there is a psychological cost to pursuing happiness too strenuously, so instead, it’s advised that you either find pleasure and happiness in what already exists in your life or just allow happiness to find its way to you rather than aggressively looking to find it.  But if you’re up to the task of embracing some simple Scandinavian behaviors that support some of the happiest people in the world, put on a comfy sweater, head out into nature, and click here.