62 | July⢠2018
that events that may be considered
negative can have positive outcomes.â
Life has taken Maggie Georgopou-
los 46 on a winding path through a
number of jobs and continents but
sheâs found happiness in the life that
sheâs created.
âMy happiness comes from within
meâ Georgopoulos says. âBecause
I have created a path to the life that
I would like to live I am OK when
things go wrong because I can see the
good that will eventually come.â
HAPPINESS
POINTERS FOR LIFE
If youâre hoping to remain happy un-
til your inal days researchers recom-
mend the following:
- Adjust your attitudeYou may not
be able to control what happens to
you but you can control how you re-
act. âIt is possible to develop the habit
of seeing the positive side of thingsâ
Dominguez says. âMany people com-
plain of not being happy but they also
do nothing to change it.â
Learning to be more optimistic is a
good irst step.
âStart by recognising negative
thoughts and question themâ
Dominguez says. âFor example: Is the
situation really as bad as I think? Is
there another way to approach it?â - Interact differently with your
spouseAfter decades together many
husbands and wives become so fa-
miliar with one another theyâre not
as kind to each other as they should
ageingarehappierthanthosewitha
negative perception of ageing.
âhepositiveperceptionofageing
is not always correlated with having
good healthâ says geriatric specialist
Ligia Dominguez at the University of
Palermooneofthestudyauthors.
âIn our everyday clinical practice
wewitnesstouchingexamplesofthis
humanabilityâcalledresilienceâin
theguiseofmanyolderpersonswho
independently or with family and/or
social support maintain a good qual-
ityoflifeanddeclarefeelingwell in
spiteoftheirhealthailments.â
HAPPINESS&SELF-CARE
Optimismandresiliencecanhelp
youbehappyintooldage.
âThe mechanism for the associa-
tion between optimism and success-
ful ageing may well be that optimistic
older adults have the ability to cope
with the curve balls of lifeâ Carver
says. âhey are resilient. hey express
life satisfaction despite upset plans
and losses because they have adapted
their expectations and have accepted