What is the U curve of life?
The U-shape in happiness relies on finding that young and old adults are happier than middle-aged adults. If the U-shape applies, then there should be a downward slide from the teens or early 20s into the 40s and 50s and a climb back up after the 50s (Galambos et al., 2015; Piper, 2015). Well-being in the transition to adulthood (teens through 20s), however, is characterized by diverse trajectories, with some young people thriving in this period and others floundering as they attempt to meet normative challenges (e.g., finishing education and finding work; finding a romantic partner; Krahn, Howard, & Galambos, 2015; Schulenberg, Bryant, & O’Malley, 2004). Some research shows depressive symptoms – indicative of negative affect – decrease on average from the late teens into the 20s and 30s although life circumstances and histories contribute to diversity in these trajectories (Galambos, Barker, & Krahn, 2006; Merikangas et al., 2003). Research specifically on within-person change in general levels of happiness between the teens and midlife is in short supply, but it is not clear that young people are happier than middle-aged adults as suggested by the U-curve (Galambos et al., 2015).
What is the U curve of life?
The U-shape in happiness relies on finding that young and old adults are happier than middle-aged adults. If the U-shape applies, then there should be a downward slide from the teens or early 20s into the 40s and 50s and a climb back up after the 50s (Galambos et al., 2015; Piper, 2015). Well-being in the transition to adulthood (teens through 20s), however, is characterized by diverse trajectories, with some young people thriving in this period and others floundering as they attempt to meet normative challenges (e.g., finishing education and finding work; finding a romantic partner; Krahn, Howard, & Galambos, 2015; Schulenberg, Bryant, & O’Malley, 2004). Some research shows depressive symptoms – indicative of negative affect – decrease on average from the late teens into the 20s and 30s although life circumstances and histories contribute to diversity in these trajectories (Galambos, Barker, & Krahn, 2006; Merikangas et al., 2003). Research specifically on within-person change in general levels of happiness between the teens and midlife is in short supply, but it is not clear that young people are happier than middle-aged adults as suggested by the U-curve (Galambos et al., 2015).
