The study was made between 1972 and 2004, with a representative cross-section of the
population interviewed—approximately 28,000 people from ages 18 to 88.
As reported by Lindsay Tanner, medical reporter for the Associated Press, “There were ups
and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and
bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.”
According to Yang’s study, being happy generally increased 5 percent with every 10 years of
age. In fact, according to Tanner’s story, “Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported
being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And
throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less
than 20 percent said they were not too happy.”
The second research findings came from another University of Chicago study based
on in-home interviews with over 3,000 people during 2005-2006. It was authored by
researchers Benjamin Cornwell and L. Philip Shumm (also reported in the April 2008 American
Sociological Review). The result? Three-fourths of people from their mid-fifties to their
mid-eighties involve themselves in at least on or more social activities each week—
neighborhood gatherings, religious services and volunteering.
According to Cornwell and Shumm, octogenarians were twice as likely as their younger
counterparts to be involved in these social activities.
The third study, led by Dr. Andrew Steptoe of London’s University College and
published in the January 2008 American Journal of Epidemiology, pointed to the fact
that happiness has actually been proven to be good for your health.
In this study of nearly 3,000 healthy British adults between the ages of 50 and 74, those who
were happier generally had lower levels of cortisol, commonly considered to be a "stress"
hormone. The higher the elevation of cortisol, especially in chronic conditions, the greater the
chance for high blood pressure, abdominal obesity and lowered immunity to disease.
Participants in the study were measured for cortisol levels, with each sample matched to the
person’s current mood. Men and women who reported happier moods had lower average
cortisol levels over the course of the day, regardless of other factors such as age, weight and
income.
There is, of course, the natural follow-up question: How does a person decide to become
happier, and thus healthier?”
According to Dr. Steptoe, “People’s mood states are not just a matter of heredity, but depend
on our social relationships and fulfillment in life. We need to help people to recognize the
things that make them feel good and truly satisfied with their lives, so that they spend
more time doing these things."
A FOURTH NOT-SO-WELL-KNOWN STUDY
As we discussed the previous three studies, my coffee-drinking buddies Tom, Rafe and me,
conducted our University of Hard Knocks study and came up with our own findings that
correlate very closely to the aforementioned University of Chicago and London’s University
College studies (and cost a heck of a lot less research money, we’re guessing, but more about
that later). Here's the results:
Yep, I’ll admit that we like to keep things pretty simple down here on the ranch. We plan to keep
it that way. Plus, the total amount spent on those five conclusions only cost a pot of good ole
coffee (especially since we got the mugs free from the MyBestYears.com folks!).
Now, don’t you wish all that research money being spent with taxpayers’ dollars (on both sides
of the big pond) could be done that cheaply?
TUMBLEWEEDS
You can thank Rafe, Tom and me later. Right now we’ve got to go pull a mess of those tumbling
tumbleweeds away from a fence up on the north pasture.
Okay, maybe the real name for these
danged weeds is Russian Thistle (or is it
Russian Thistles?). Frankly, especially when
the Cold War was still going on, that was
just one more thing I didn't like about the
Russians, so I always just called them
tumbleweeds or wind witches. That way I
didn't have to think so much about those
Soviets and all the missiles that were
pointed in our direction. It's awfully hard to
change what you call things this late in life,
but that's an entirely different subject.
So, back to the subject of tumbleweeds.
While we're talking about them (which is a
lot easier than actually heading out to the
pasture to take care of them), I’m still wondering why some enterprising young scientist from the
University of Nebraska, Texas A & M, Oklahoma State or even M.I.T. hasn't come up with a way
to turn all those nuisance-weeds into some kind of bio-fuel. Consider:
And while you're at it, see if you can't get some kind of tax
break for all of us ranchers and farmers out here who have
to pay for the mess you city folk keep making of the schools
and fighting crime and so forth. We pay taxes like you, but
you don't have to fix a single thing for us. Meanwhile, we will
have fixed your energy problems and untangled you from
those Middle East potentates and South American dictators.
A little tax relief is the least you can do.
Now, I’ll ask you to remember that you didn’t have to
pay a single dime for all this research, reflected in
these few short paragraphs. With a few strokes of my
old Pointed Pen (first draft) and more strokes on my faithful
old Royal typewriter (final draft), I have been able to
help you out in a cross-current of subjects such as aging,
happiness, making choices, and even solving the energy
crunch.
As I mentioned earlier, you can thank me later. Bring
gloves when you come to help out with those post holes.
population interviewed—approximately 28,000 people from ages 18 to 88.
As reported by Lindsay Tanner, medical reporter for the Associated Press, “There were ups
and downs in overall happiness levels during the study, generally corresponding with good and
bad economic times. But at every stage, older Americans were the happiest.”
According to Yang’s study, being happy generally increased 5 percent with every 10 years of
age. In fact, according to Tanner’s story, “Overall, about 33 percent of Americans reported
being very happy at age 88, versus about 24 percent of those age 18 to their early 20s. And
throughout the study years, most Americans reported being very happy or pretty happy; less
than 20 percent said they were not too happy.”
The second research findings came from another University of Chicago study based
on in-home interviews with over 3,000 people during 2005-2006. It was authored by
researchers Benjamin Cornwell and L. Philip Shumm (also reported in the April 2008 American
Sociological Review). The result? Three-fourths of people from their mid-fifties to their
mid-eighties involve themselves in at least on or more social activities each week—
neighborhood gatherings, religious services and volunteering.
According to Cornwell and Shumm, octogenarians were twice as likely as their younger
counterparts to be involved in these social activities.
The third study, led by Dr. Andrew Steptoe of London’s University College and
published in the January 2008 American Journal of Epidemiology, pointed to the fact
that happiness has actually been proven to be good for your health.
In this study of nearly 3,000 healthy British adults between the ages of 50 and 74, those who
were happier generally had lower levels of cortisol, commonly considered to be a "stress"
hormone. The higher the elevation of cortisol, especially in chronic conditions, the greater the
chance for high blood pressure, abdominal obesity and lowered immunity to disease.
Participants in the study were measured for cortisol levels, with each sample matched to the
person’s current mood. Men and women who reported happier moods had lower average
cortisol levels over the course of the day, regardless of other factors such as age, weight and
income.
There is, of course, the natural follow-up question: How does a person decide to become
happier, and thus healthier?”
According to Dr. Steptoe, “People’s mood states are not just a matter of heredity, but depend
on our social relationships and fulfillment in life. We need to help people to recognize the
things that make them feel good and truly satisfied with their lives, so that they spend
more time doing these things."
A FOURTH NOT-SO-WELL-KNOWN STUDY
As we discussed the previous three studies, my coffee-drinking buddies Tom, Rafe and me,
conducted our University of Hard Knocks study and came up with our own findings that
correlate very closely to the aforementioned University of Chicago and London’s University
College studies (and cost a heck of a lot less research money, we’re guessing, but more about
that later). Here's the results:
- First, everything in life comes
down to choices. You are today
what you choose yesterday. You will
be tomorrow what you choose today.
Yep, there are bumps along the way
that none of us like, but we have to
keep making choices about what we
want to become.
- Second, that whole thing about
getting older all comes down to
choices. Either you choose to love or
hate getting older, but it's going to
happen one way or the other. There’s
not much gray area on this one. Tom,
Rafe and I agree that getting older
has some downsides, but it sure beats
pushing up daisies. We’re unified on
lovin’ every day the good Lord leaves
us down here.
- Third, happiness itself is a choice. I’ve met lots of people in horrible conditions who
have simply decided to be happy, no matter what happens. At the same time, I’ve run into
a bunch of folks who have got the world on a string, as Cab Calloway, Bing Crosby and
later Frank Sinatra used to croon, yet those same people seem so down in the mouth all
the time about one thing or the other. Apparently money, fame, possessions and lots of
time on your hands doesn't buy happiness. Even if I’ve got to saddle my own horse,
change the oil in my own danged pickup and dig my own post holes, I decided a long time
ago to be happy about it. Thus far, it's working out pretty good.
- Fourth, having friends needs to be an increasingly big part of your life,
especially as you grow older. The Good Book says something to the effect that if you
want to have friends, you’ve got to be friendly. There’s a whole lot of people who want
friends, but they forget that first part. With this deal, half of an equation doesn’t work too
well. Plus, I've found that having friends sure makes digging post holes go a lot faster.
- Fifth, stay busy. It'll keep you young. If you don't have enough to do, I've always got a
few more post holes to dig, so stop complaining about nothing to do. I'll fix that.
Yep, I’ll admit that we like to keep things pretty simple down here on the ranch. We plan to keep
it that way. Plus, the total amount spent on those five conclusions only cost a pot of good ole
coffee (especially since we got the mugs free from the MyBestYears.com folks!).
Now, don’t you wish all that research money being spent with taxpayers’ dollars (on both sides
of the big pond) could be done that cheaply?
TUMBLEWEEDS
You can thank Rafe, Tom and me later. Right now we’ve got to go pull a mess of those tumbling
tumbleweeds away from a fence up on the north pasture.
Okay, maybe the real name for these
danged weeds is Russian Thistle (or is it
Russian Thistles?). Frankly, especially when
the Cold War was still going on, that was
just one more thing I didn't like about the
Russians, so I always just called them
tumbleweeds or wind witches. That way I
didn't have to think so much about those
Soviets and all the missiles that were
pointed in our direction. It's awfully hard to
change what you call things this late in life,
but that's an entirely different subject.
So, back to the subject of tumbleweeds.
While we're talking about them (which is a
lot easier than actually heading out to the
pasture to take care of them), I’m still wondering why some enterprising young scientist from the
University of Nebraska, Texas A & M, Oklahoma State or even M.I.T. hasn't come up with a way
to turn all those nuisance-weeds into some kind of bio-fuel. Consider:
- They burn like blazes when you pile them together and light a match.
- They’re free.
- There is a practically unending source of them out here in the wide open spaces.
- They're out here on the prairie for some unknown reason, and I don't think it's just to
keep guys like Rafe, Tom and me busy and therefore happy.
- Think of the possibilities. You help me from having
to clear fence rows from these pesky weeds, and I
help you by fixing the energy crisis.
If that young scientist is out there, and if he or she
is able to pull this one off, you can send my
Tumbling Tumbleweeds royalty check to the
address below, and I'm sure the good folks at
MyBestYears.com will make sure they are
forwarded every month to me and Mrs. Graham.
As I've mentioned, I've already decided to be
happy, but I'm pretty sure that a few million
every month in these bio-weed royalties
would sure make all this happiness a heck of
a lot more fun!
And while you're at it, see if you can't get some kind of tax
break for all of us ranchers and farmers out here who have
to pay for the mess you city folk keep making of the schools
and fighting crime and so forth. We pay taxes like you, but
you don't have to fix a single thing for us. Meanwhile, we will
have fixed your energy problems and untangled you from
those Middle East potentates and South American dictators.
A little tax relief is the least you can do.
Now, I’ll ask you to remember that you didn’t have to
pay a single dime for all this research, reflected in
these few short paragraphs. With a few strokes of my
old Pointed Pen (first draft) and more strokes on my faithful
old Royal typewriter (final draft), I have been able to
help you out in a cross-current of subjects such as aging,
happiness, making choices, and even solving the energy
crunch.
As I mentioned earlier, you can thank me later. Bring
gloves when you come to help out with those post holes.
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HAPPINESS, AGING, FRIENDSHIPS
AND TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS
...Research Studies and My Two Cents
Three research studies were recently released that caught my eye.
One, conducted in the United States, authored by University
of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang and reported in the April
2008 American Sociological Review, revealed that the
happiest people are those who are the oldest.
“The good news,” according to Yang, “is that with age comes
happiness, and life gets better in one’s perception as one ages.”
AND TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS
...Research Studies and My Two Cents
Three research studies were recently released that caught my eye.
One, conducted in the United States, authored by University
of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang and reported in the April
2008 American Sociological Review, revealed that the
happiest people are those who are the oldest.
“The good news,” according to Yang, “is that with age comes
happiness, and life gets better in one’s perception as one ages.”
|
| The official coffee mug for coffee-drinking bull-sessions with Sterling, Tom and Rafe. Order yours today! |
Feedback? Comments?
Email Sterling Graham now*
Or write:
MyBestYears.com
ATTN: Sterling Graham
PO Box 2630
Grapevine, TX 76051
*We forward hard-copies of all emails and letters to Sterling's ranch.
Email Sterling Graham now*
Or write:
MyBestYears.com
ATTN: Sterling Graham
PO Box 2630
Grapevine, TX 76051
*We forward hard-copies of all emails and letters to Sterling's ranch.
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