Study: Men Get Grumpy at Age 70

If you're a male who's approaching 50, good news: A recent study found that 80% of the 1,315 men surveyed found that life improved around 50, as opposed to the 20% who said life didn't get easier until retirement age. But the good times apparently have an expiration date. The men found that their happiness began to diminish around age 70, which NPR dubs "the approximate moment when grumpiness kicks in for men." The study, published in March's Psychology and Aging, shed some light on why the men, who were between the ages of 53 and 85 during the 15-year study, found that life improved at first, then started to be a downer around 70.

"Older adults," referring to those around 50, "on average have fewer hassles—and respond to them better—than younger adults," explains lead author Carolyn Aldwin. But as decades pass new "hassles" set in, and how the men "appraised" them changed. Per a press release, appraisals of hassles improved during one's 60s, then downgraded in one's 70s (Aldwin points out that later-in-life hassles include health issues, the death of family and friends, and mental decline). But she adds that old men aren't doomed to gloom, as there are new sources of happiness: "You may lose a parent, but gain a grandchild." (More good news for the young: A new study finds we peak at 24.)