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The U-curve of happiness shows that we humans are most content at the beginnings and ends of our lives.The famous midlife crisis is the trough of our happiness because it's a time when we have responsibility for people older and younger than us, and we grow aware that we may not fulfill the dreams of our youth.Children and people in their 80s are uniquely able to live in the moment and be happy because they live at a neurological and psychological sweet spot, respectively.
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ASHTON APPLEWHITE
Ashton Applewhite is a Brooklyn-based activist and writer. Her latest book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, debunks many myths about late life.
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TRANSCRIPT:
ASHTON APPLEWHITE: There are lots of legitimate reasons to worry about getting older, like getting sick and running out of money, ending up alone. Those fears are legitimate and real. But the thing is, we need to think about how the culture in which we age shapes those experiences. I'm not a Pollyanna about aging. I'm sort of in the 'both sides of the story' business. We hear only the downside. And we hear very little about all the positive aspects of aging, which are that we grow more confident, we grow happier.
When I started thinking about all this, my view of old age was unrelievedly grim. And one of the things I stumbled upon really early was the U-curve of happiness. And when I first encountered it, seriously I thought they must have cornered two 80 year olds, and given them a cookie, and said 'How are you doing?' The U-curve shows that people are happiest at the beginnings and the ends of our lives, that midlife, the famous midlife crisis, is indeed the trough of our satisfaction. And this is true for a couple of reasons. Midlife is the time of life when typically we have maximum family responsibilities. We're supposed to be crushing it in our careers. We may have responsibility for people both older and younger than us. And it's also the time of life where we realize, gee, I may not become a ballerina, I may not hike Mt. Everest. And those are sobering reflections, that maybe now, you're at a turning point, and there's more road behind you than ahead.
But something happens as we get older, especially up into our 80s. And it is the exact opposite of an ageist thought that I started out with. I thought, well, obviously, everything about getting older is going to suck. And one of the things that clearly sucks about it is the proximity to death. I envisioned, I literally envisioned the shadow of the grim reaper stretching over this sad iron bedstead. The awareness that time is short does not fill people with dread. It doesn't work that way neurologically. That was another assumption of mine. The knowledge that time is short helps people live in the moment, because they are more conscious about what they want to do with their time and who they want to spend it with. Kids live in the moment because they aren't neurologically equipped to do anything else. And olders do it because precisely they are aware that time is short and they want to make the most of the remaining time. It's why the older people are, the less they worry about dying. They don't want to die. And they especially don't want to die in pain. But they don't worry about it. And they think younger people worry too much about both the dying and the getting there.
This just blew my mind. Rainn Wilson has way more wisdom than I would have thought.
Thanks Dwight
It's a big deal for creatives to meditate to be able to express yourself better. Anything that could do your mind good helps with destroying creative blocks - whether it's sleeping, hitting the beach or taking a walk.
I love Rainn so much, he's so intelligent but he also has a great sense of humor. Just listening to him talk is very relaxing for me.
he's great! easily the best big think speaker . . . he should speak at a Ted talk!
THANKS DWIGHT SHRUTE !!
He's alot more than Dwight Schrute
"Our true divinity lies in our ability to create." - Peter Joseph
Dwight is a genius
This was expectedly yet an unexpected profound thought from Rainn. Very much delighted to have encountered this vid
Reminds me of Dwight from the Office
He's absolutely 100% right.
He's absolutely 100% Dwight.
I'm astonished by how wise he is. A lot of people just view actors as simply that. So perhaps it's because of that, that i'm more taken aback by their wisdom. Either way, i thought this was quite inspirational.
Why are there so few views? This is a great line of thought.
Thank you!!! 🙏🏼
Rainn is so good, I'm going to see all of his work :D
im extremely introverted but when it comes to any type of creative thought theres nothing, spellings down the tubes as well as confidence, motivation, balance, memory, stamina, ability to relax, and stress control
Yeah, he's promoting creativity, for everyone.
Rainn is deep as fuck.
Didn't know Dwight was a *NERD*
Aww thank you so much!
Wonderfully said
*CREATIVE BLOCK IS NOT A JOKE!*
Hilarious yet wise. You are what I am when off creative blocks. Thank you rain wilson
Did anyone else wonder why his glasses are way up on his head like that?
Not now Dwight
Kinda felt like he was promoting something there at the end... lol
we think the same buddy!
He is such an awesome person
I changed things up by emigrating while on a vacation. I just didn't go home for 3 years.
Well said.
damn, this guy is fucking brilliant I. had no idea
Nothing about this has aged in 11 years.
I thought "Creative blocks" was some sort of board game like Jenga...
❤
This is yoga philosophy.... Just stated by a "non-yogi". Yay!!!
That just makes him a yogi
Micheal!
Let's all join the Army.
It's FISH BOY!!!
I'll try to change parts of my life......
damn, all these ted talks are worthless, you just watch Rainn talking and you get it
damn connect with your breath...
dwight k shrute
Or a bottle of vodka will do the trick.
ok
Join the service for a year? How about just go to the beach for a bit.
I want to marry you
Quite abstract bits of advices. I wonder if he actually believe in those things.
It's called weed.
just thrown in the toilet 3:52 minutes of my time
Hitting hard as ever 13 years later too, would love to use this as a sample intro into a song I create perhaps to symbolize breaking through my creative block 🧿🤍💯🙏🔥
❤