Job contentment rises with age

The older you are, the happier you are at work, according to research which commends the commitment of staff in their 50s and 60s.

A survey of 200 international workers found that job satisfaction increases with age. More than nine in 10 54- to 64-year-olds said they are happy at work compared with two in 10 18- to 24-year-olds.

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“The older you get, the happier you are,” said psychologist Professor Cary Cooper, who analysed the research by training firm Video Arts. He puts it down to a more relaxed approach to work among older people. “As we get older and more experienced we tend to have a more balanced perspective,” he said.

He added that people in their 20s are more miserable at work because jobs do not live up to their expectations. Employers oversell jobs to graduates, promising them more excitement and responsibility than they can deliver, Cooper said.