[nopinsight]

Contentment is an important form of happiness. Older people generally feel happier (there are research findings on this, but I don't remember the source right now) because they are more contented.

A key wisdom of Buddhism is that through sustained practice you can deeply understand the world, the mind, and their natural ups and downs. If you truly live by that understanding, you will earn a profound peace of mind and be free from any sufferings that accompany most lives. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana)

Note that the practice may take as long as the mastery of other arts, like piano or chess, but it is definitely achievable.

[bobbyong]

@nachteilig posted an article (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/lowered-expe...) in one of the comments below that mentioned a study by University of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang where he found older people are generally happier

I think it is very hard to master the art of just being truly contented and happy and you are right in saying that it takes a lot of practice