[agumonkey]

I do believe that.. to the point that I believe that we're following an emotional program and I'm quite worried that extending your biology without understanding of this side of your psyche will only lead to higher pile of people at the bottom of a bridge.

I'm open to suggestion and discussion but the 20-30 shift in experience may probably be a necessary part of the parenting cycle. And I quite regret the simple and deep joy of kids. Now (as I mentioned often here) I'm not in the best moods but so far no doctor or researcher addressed how to restore this happiness to agreeable levels.

[sp3000]

To your first point, is it shown that people who live the longest follow this emotional program, in a way that is actually detrimental to their psyche? I am not talking about people experiencing various diseased states such as dementia and other chronic illness.

Restoring in your life the same levels or type of happiness that you see in kids seems unrealistic. Not only that, there tends to be a bias towards nostalgia and how good we had it when we were younger. As I have gotten older, I have only felt a continuous trend towards more happiness in general though. I was a confused, anxious child. I feel better on every level - but that has come with a lot of work on making sure I am eating nutritiously, moving regularly (outside and in the sun), sleeping well, and leaning in towards work that I feel fulfilled doing. It also comes with fostering social relationships and cultivating a good social circle. That's what worked for me.

There is a path for everyone, and there are some generalities we can make on what that looks like, but in the end it is going to be unique to the individual due to their specific circumstances and genetics.

[agumonkey]

Sure, maybe not totally childlike.

But there's a blend of excitement and joy in simple things that I find really lacking in adult life.

I'm also rewiring most my life and habits (somehow centering on simple usual and lively activities) but .. so far not good enough.

To be back to the original point, living longer will exhibit issues, and we'll have to work on that. I just find it sad that it's never mentionned.

[sp3000]

Think of it as a process, with no real end in sight. Unlikely you will all of a sudden wake up one day with that blend of excitement and joy you see in children. But it possible to move closer to experiencing that more consistently by rewiring your life and habits like you said. Hope your journey brings what you are looking for.

I think most people realize that living longer will bring a whole host of issues that are hard to put into perspective today. But I also think that for most people, there is a bias against living longer because they think it will be filled of boredom and impaired mental and physical functioning, which I don't think will necessarily be the case.