Happiness and Age: The Importance of Realization

An article by psychotherapist Moya Sarner in The Guardian examines the relationship between age and happiness, arguing that accepting temporal reality is fundamental to mental health.

Sarner refers to a personal experience with an advertisement for a barista school aimed at young people aged 18-24, which made her reflect on society's obsession with eternal youth. She points out that we often disconnect from the passage of time, until at some point, such as the appearance of a wrinkle or presbyopia, brings us back to reality.

The psychotherapist emphasizes that middle age, although it may bring losses, can be a fertile period for change and focusing on what we really want from life. Instead of dwelling on the phrase 'age is just a number,' Sarner suggests recognizing that the time we have left behind is greater than what we have ahead of us, which can lead to significant changes.

She also mentions an incident with her daughter and a word she couldn't pronounce correctly ('gooster' instead of scooter), which made her realize the 'destructive reality' of time, but also the necessity of allowing ourselves to move within the different stages of life.

She concludes by saying that within each person there is always the infant, the small child, and the adolescent, like the rings of a tree.