Who has the most fun - oldies or Y-genners?

The elderly are better at having fun, according to a new study which shows they are every bit as happy as young people despite spending more time alone.
Research into the social lives of young and old Australians has turned up some unusual results that confirm the wisdom of old age.

"We know older people get out much less and socialise much less than people in the social prime of their 20s, but this doesn't seem to affect their social satisfaction," said psychologist Professor Bill von Hippel, from the University of Queensland.

"We found, rather surprisingly, that older people are just as satisfied with their social lives because they seem to get much more from the few interactions they have."

The study, in collaboration with the University of NSW, compared social activities and social satisfaction of people aged 66 and 91 to those aged 18 and 30.

The results, published in the US journal Psychology and Ageing, add to growing evidence than the elderly are best at doing what humans all aspire to, emphasising the positive in life.

"What we found was that a simple event like tea at a friend's house, generally thought to be rather ordinary by a younger person, was much more uplifting and brought more pleasure for an older person," Prof von Hippel said.

Prof von Hippel said while it was a human aspiration to get more pleasure from life, the younger a person was the more difficulty they seemed to have slowing down and enjoying the moment they are in.

"We all want it, and things like Buddhist meditation help to teach it, but it seems to be really hard to attain," the expert said.

"Personally, I blame the big frontal lobes we have that are designed for planning and organising and tend to force us to think forward all the time."