Yes, a new study of over 20,000 participants has declared that 23 and 69 are the two happiest years of your life, confirming that anywhere between 29 and 51 really is a sprawling, barren emotional wasteland. You’re pretty screwed if you didn’t stop to savour the hell out of either of those two years. Quick! Regret your life!

This, from science:

What goes up must come down: after our early twenties, happiness declines on the way to our mid-fifties; then, after cycling back up through our late sixties, it falls again once we reach 75. If you’re having a midlife crisis — brooding over life choices and unfulfilled ambitions — buck up, better days are coming: the turnaround point is 55, according to the study, at which point happiness starts climbing once more (though that second harder turnaround after 75 sounds a little ominous).

Speaking of going up and coming down, we’re in luck. This being science, we obviously have a secondary study on hand that says mental attitudes play a much greater role in happiness than the biological roller coaster that is human life.

So, be happy, okay?

[Source : TIME]