A large Gallup poll of more than has found that “by almost any measure, people get happier as they get older.” The tone is skeptical: “[Getting old] sounds miserable, but apparently it is not.” The methodology is impeccable: researchers surveyed 340,000 Americans aged 18 to 85. The conclusion is clear: “good news for old people, and for those who are getting old.”  In other words, for everyone.

I’ve blogged several times about “U-shaped happiness curve” studies  that show Americans to be most content at the beginning and end of their lives. Another one, the “August National Well-Being Index,” was released by Gallup on September 10th.  (Great news: Americans’ grip on their flotation cushions has relaxed by .07% since January!)

Sounds improbable, doesn’t it? We tend to think of the United States as a bumptious country where youth culture rules, where the elderly are sidelined as an unpleasant reminder of sagging flesh and dimming prospects. Yet, as I’ve noted on this blog, several recent surveys of happiness at different ages show that the elderly come out ahead.

Every Valentine's Day Daniel Jones reaches for an uber-comment on the human condition for the New York Times’ “Modern Love” column. (Full disclosure: this is the first part of the Sunday paper I turn to.) This year’s springboard was a new study of happiness patterns conducted by researchers from the University of Warwick and Dartmouth College.