Danes aged over 60 most satisfied with life

They feel appreciated and also tend to trust others more

Lucie Rychla

Danes over the age of 60 are the most satisfied with life compared to other age groups in the country, suggest new figures from Statistics Denmark.

The elderly feel the most appreciated and recognised, and they also tend to be more trusting than younger Danes.

The figures reveal that Danish people’s satisfaction with life follows a U-curve – decreasing gradually and then slowly rising as they reach their late 50s.

Once they pass the age 60, the elderly are even happier with life than the younger generations.

READ MORE: Danish pensioners second most active holiday-goers in the EU

Shift in perspective
According to Margrethe Kähler, the chief consultant at the volunteer organisation for the elderly, Ældre Sagen, serenity in old age is linked with a higher sense of one’s mortality.

“The awareness of death approaching means that many have realised it does not benefit anyone if they live their last years as a sour old man,” Kähler told Politiken.

“The awareness also makes material things, which they once considered critically important, to lose importance.”

Statistics Denmark also found that Danes in their 50s are, in general, the most dissatisfied with their lives.

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