We become happier when we grow older, according to scientists who claim our best years do not arrive until our late seventies and eighties.
Traditional wisdom states that our younger years are the best of our lives, with the milestone of 40 meaning we are "over the hill" and already on the wane.
But in fact satisfaction and optimism steadily increase after middle age, easily eclipsing the earlier years and peaking as late as the eighties, according to research.
An easing of the responsibilities of middle age combined with maturity and the ability to focus on the things we enjoy combine to make old age far more enjoyable than one might expect.
This is greatly increased by having good health, a stable income and good relationships with family and friends, according to scientists.
Lewis Wolpert, emeritus professor of biology at University College London, who explained the findings in a new book called You're Looking Very Well, said most people were "averagely happy" in their teens and twenties, declining until early middle age as they try to support a family and a career.
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He added: "But then, from the mid-forties, people tend to become ever more cheerful and optimistic, perhaps reaching a maximum in their late seventies or eighties."
A study published by the American National Academy of Sciences, based on a survey of 341,000 people, found that enjoyment of life dwindled throughout early adulthood but began an upward trend in the late forties, and continued to increase until reaching a peak at 85.
Andrew Steptoe, professor of psychology at University College London, said elderly people today benefit from better health and opportunities now than 30 years ago, adding that good health and a secure income were "very important" in old age.
Research also indicates that, while ageing can cause the weakening of some abilities such as mathematics, others such as language and decision making improve as the brain matures.
In addition, psychologists believe that in old age we become more selective with how we use our time, focusing more on doing things we enjoy and cutting out parts of life that make us unhappy.