As we age, our bodies undergo hormonal changes that can lead to emotional imbalances, contributing to the grumpy reputation some older individuals develop. Of course, not all older Kansas residents are grumpy. A new study identifies some of the complaints older Americans have about things that never used to bother them but now do. First, time… life is too short to waste time. But what one considers “wasting” time sometimes changes with age. Maintaining friendships with people they dread seeing, keeping up with a reputation they don’t identify with, and watching mindless tv are some of the things that drive some older people crazy when their younger selves used to embrace them.
Second, the mystery in the mirror. Looking in the mirror and not recognizing, or being willing to recognize, the reflection can be irritating for some older people. It can be hard enough when one is younger; as many as eight out of ten women don’t like what they see in the mirror. Nevertheless, no matter how someone felt about seeing themselves in the mirror in their younger years, grey hair and wrinkles in the reflection most certainly weren’t part of the equation.
