How Older Americans Are Redefining Health and Happiness

Bob Edwards:

Hi, I'm Bob Edwards with an AARP Take On Today. While people recognize some of the challenges that come with growing older, many aging Americans have an optimistic outlook and expect their lives to improve. A survey conducted by AARP and National Geographic found Americans are redefining health and finding more happiness through shifting priorities as they grow older. Here to discuss the AARP/National Geographic Second Half of Life survey is Debra Whitman, she's AARP's chief public policy officer. Thanks for joining us, Debra.

Debra Whitman:

Thanks Bob, for having me.

Bob Edwards:

Tell us how this project came to be. Why did AARP and National Geographic team up for this report on the second half of life?

Debra Whitman:

Well, after the COVID pandemic, we wanted to see how people are viewing aging and really look across the whole lifespan. So we asked people from age 18 to people way in their 90s, to see the entire arc of adulthood and how ideas and perceptions changed.

Bob Edwards:

People in various life stages where asked about their satisfaction with life. What does that look like on a graph, that relationship between age and satisfaction?

Debra Whitman:

Well, remarkably, people are pretty happy and optimistic when they're young and also when they're older. Pretty much the same amount of optimism is had in your 40s is also in your 70s, where half of the population are extremely or very optimistic. We also know that happiness grows with age and most high in people who are over 80. So twice as many people over 80 say they are very happy as do people in their 40s.

Bob Edwards:

What factors do you think lead to this trend of increased happiness with age?

Debra Whitman:

I think people get more realistic and really understand it's not your expectations, it's really how you're living today. They focus on the things that they have and love now. And mostly, people prioritize more positive things over negative things, so they focus on their quality of life more than their quality of years.

Bob Edwards:

The report found there's a new norm when it comes to how older adults define health. Although three quarters of those 60 and over have at least one serious health condition, nearly half rate their health as very good or excellent. What do you make of how older adults are redefining health?

Debra Whitman:

Well, I think what is health is in your mindset. So yes, people have a serious health condition, but they still rate themselves in good or excellent condition. And so I think it's basically saying you're not as healthy as you were when you're 20 but you feel good about where you are now. And really the most important areas were if people still had their mobility, were able to walk, and their cognition, they felt like they were a good health for their age, even if they had other health conditions.

Bob Edwards:

Maybe compared to some others who have more serious conditions, they feel fortunate.

Debra Whitman:

Exactly. I know my father-in-law always, though he walked very slow, he didn't yet need a Walker and so he felt like he was faster than some of the people that he lived with.

Bob Edwards:

Most of the survey respondents were interested in a hypothetical pill that could slow down aging, but far fewer would take a pill to extend their life by a decade. What does that tell us about Americans priorities as they age?

Debra Whitman:

Yeah. I thought this was a really interesting question. So we asked, "Would you want to live longer or would you want to live healthier longer?" And most people chose the pill for the health. And so I think this is, again, you prioritize quality over quantity. And when we asked other questions about how you would like to die, over six and 10 people over age 70 said they'd like to pass quickly and that they really didn't want to be a burden on others and wanted to avoid pain in the end of their life. So again, more years is not as important as good years and a peaceful death.

Bob Edwards:

Just over half of adults 70 and older who were surveyed said that their financial situation is excellent or very good. How does that challenge assumptions about aging and financial security?

Debra Whitman:

Well, Bob, half said it was good and half said it wasn't. And if we looked at people with lower incomes, more of those said their finances were not... Would not rate their finances as good or excellent. And so I think this is like health, where you may not have as much money in retirement, but you've learned how to deal with it, you've figured out how to budget and you're able to live within your means.

Bob Edwards:

People 70 and older ranked relationships as one of their top concerns. Why do you think relationships become so important as people age?

Debra Whitman:

So people in their 80s said that family is one of the most important things that contributes to their sense of joy, and four in five people in their 70s and 80s say that the relationships that they have with their friends and family are good or excellent. Again, I think the things that matter to you later in life are even stronger, your family and your friends and your social relationships. And we know the opposite, not having those strong relationships, is also a huge problem. So people who are socially isolated have the same health impact as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So these relationships can be incredibly positive, or a lack of them, incredibly negative.

Bob Edwards:

Because a lot of older people lose their life's companion, so you just want somebody to talk to. There's a good relationship.

Debra Whitman:

I think people value what connections that they have as they age.

Bob Edwards:

Anything else you'd like to add?

Debra Whitman:

I think another thing we found in particular through conversations with some of the people that we interviewed is that your health and your financial behaviors are influenced a lot by what you saw from your parents. And so if you liked what your parents did, you are going to learn what to do. And if you didn't like what your parents did, you're going to learn what not to do. So I think the data shows that older Americans are serving as great role models for future generations because their kids will be watching them.

Bob Edwards:

Dr. Debra Whitman is chief public policy officer at AARP. Thanks for joining us.

Debra Whitman:

Thanks so much for having me, Bob.

Bob Edwards:

That's it for this week's episode. You can find more of the research findings at aarp.org/bulletin. Thanks to our news team, producers Colby Nelson and Danny Alarcon, production assistant Elizabeth Maksimik, engineer Julio Gonzalez, and my co-hosts Wilma Consul and Mike Ellison. Become a subscriber on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or other apps, and be sure to rate our show as well. For an AARP Take On Today, I'm Bob Edwards. Thanks for listening.