After 25, life's ode to joy wavers

Young people's happiness and satisfaction with life hits a peak when they make the transition from study to work.

By InvestSMART · 12 Nov 2011

By InvestSMART ·
12 Nov 2011

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Young people's happiness and satisfaction with life hits a peak when they make the transition from study to work.

IT'S all downhill from the age of 25. Young people's happiness and satisfaction with life continues to grow throughout their teens and hits a peak when they make the transition from study to work. But by the mid-20s, the joy factor has taken a significant dip and continues heading south until the end of our working lives.

The findings are part of the latest government-funded Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth report, which measures the link between education, employment and wellbeing.

Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report was also incorporated to reach a conclusion most of us already suspected that our best years are behind us.

Almost 4000 people aged between 16 to 25 were asked to rate their satisfaction with life for the survey over the course of 11 years. Generally high levels of happiness with home and social life were reported while the participants were in their late teens and still living at home.

But after the first taste of independence had dulled - in the early to mid-20s - satisfaction levels decreased and responsibilities grew.

While all this may make depressing reading, there is some consolation in the HILDA report, which shows that life perks up around the age of 65, coinciding with retirement.

So is work to blame for this adult malaise? Thwarted career plans and unmet expectations coupled with mounting financial responsibilities have a lot to do with the 25-year-old tipping point, says Tom Karmel, the managing director of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, which manages the survey.

''There's evidence to show that those who did apprenticeships tended to be happier than those who went to university,'' he says.

''We don't know for certain why, but there's the hypothesis that by the mid-20s, a tradesperson is quite well established, but a university graduate is still at the bottom of the career pecking order. They might also have higher expectations and greater awareness - and greater awareness doesn't necessarily equate to greater happiness.''

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What did the study find about young people's happiness and life satisfaction?

The government-funded Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, with data from the HILDA report, found that young people's happiness and satisfaction with life grows through the teens and peaks when they move from study to work, then takes a significant dip by the mid-20s and continues to decline through much of working life.

At what age does life satisfaction peak and when does it start to fall?

According to the report, life satisfaction peaks around the transition from study to work (roughly the early to mid-20s) and then shows a noticeable drop by about age 25, with a downward trend until later in life.

What data sources were used to measure youth wellbeing in the report?

The findings come from the government-funded Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth and also incorporated data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report.

How large was the survey sample and how long were participants followed?

Almost 4,000 people aged between 16 and 25 were asked to rate their life satisfaction, and the survey tracked their responses over the course of 11 years.

Why does happiness tend to dip after the mid-20s according to the report?

The report points to factors such as thwarted career plans, unmet expectations and mounting financial responsibilities as contributors to the mid-20s tipping point in happiness, according to Tom Karmel of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

Does doing an apprenticeship affect happiness compared with going to university?

The report notes evidence that people who did apprenticeships tended to be happier than those who went to university. One hypothesis is that tradespeople may be more established in their careers by their mid-20s, while some university graduates may still be near the bottom of the career ladder and have higher expectations.

Does life get better again after working life, according to the HILDA report?

Yes — the HILDA report included in the analysis shows life perks up around age 65, which coincides with retirement, suggesting a rebound in wellbeing later in life.

Who managed the youth wellbeing survey and who commented on the findings?

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth are managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, and the article quotes Tom Karmel, the centre's managing director, commenting on the possible reasons for the mid-20s dip in happiness.