Older people are happier than you. Why?

0423 Life better with Age

Story highlights

Analysis revealed that people become more trusting as they get older

A study shows people who trust more experience increases in happiness over time

CNN  — 

A number of studies have demonstrated a major upside to getting older: As people age, they tend to become happier and more satisfied with their lives.

New research from Buffalo University and Northwestern University hints at one possible reason behind this improvements in well-being – people are more trusting as they age, which in turn carries a number of benefits for their well-being.

Related: 7 questions you should ask yourself at the end of each day

“When we think of old age, we often think of decline and loss,” Claudia Haase, a professor of social policy at Northwestern and one of the study’s authors, said in a statement. “But a growing body of research shows that some things actually get better as we age.”

In the first study, researchers studied the link between age and trust in a sample of nearly 200,000 people from 83 countries at different points in the past 30 years. A second study followed over 1,200 Americans of different ages (Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers) over time.

Related: Social comparison may lead to depressive symptoms. These mantras are here to alleviate that.

This increased level of trust in turn led to improvements in well-being and happiness.

“Trust may benefit well-being because a sense of trust in other people allows us to derive support, comfort and pleasure from our social relationships,” Haase said. “People who trust more are also happier. Moreover, our study shows that people who trust more are not only happier today, but they also experience increases in happiness over time.”

The findings were published online in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Related: 5 lies you should stop telling yourself by the time you hit middle age