They say you get more comfortable in your skin as you age. That seems to be backed up by a study in this month’s American Sociological Review that found the older Americans get, the happier they are.

With age, comes the loss of friends and spouses, along with declining health. But a University of Chicago researcher, using data spanning more than 30 years, found that the insight and self-esteem that older people have gained serve as more than a counterweight to aging problems – what's known as the "age as maturity hypothesis."

Another UChicago study found that seniors keep up their spirits by getting more involved with the community through things like volunteering and doing more socializing with neighbors.