We all know of one. One person in our family that is always seemingly grumpy or annoyed about something, and often that person is quite old.
This is not to say this is a default setting, as there are many occasions where this grumpy member of the family will be smiling, chatty, helpful at the table, but they also seem to be overwhelmingly grumpy compared to everyone else.
What makes this so strange is that it is not just one person that this happens to, there is seemingly a phenomenon where the older you get, the more grumpy and tired of life itself you get.
But why is this? Why are some old people just grumpy?
In this article, we will look more closely at age, its effects on our bodies and personality, and why you may become as grumpy as others when you are old.
Physical Issues
As we grow older, our bodies start to break down. We lose muscle mass, our bones become brittle and fragile, and our immune system starts to slow down.
These physical changes can cause us to have longer periods of illness and pain. The effects of these physical problems can be further compounded by mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.
Because of these factors, we tend to see an increase in illnesses and pains with increasing age.
In fact, it has been found that around 80% of older adults experience chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.
All these health concerns can lead to increased stress levels, which can then lead to more grumpiness.
Mental Health
Alongside the physical side of things, as we grow older, we tend to develop mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
Because of this, we find ourselves having less energy and being more tired than younger members of society.
When combined with the physical issues mentioned above, this leads to even more grumpiness.
It seems that as we get older, our brains are no longer able to cope with the amount of work that was once expected from them.
Personality
Another thing that could contribute to someone’s grumpiness is their personality.
People who are naturally happy may begin to feel a little sadder as they get older, and vice versa for those who were always unhappy.
If someone is naturally cheerful or happy, they may develop more feelings of sadness and boredom as they get older.
On the other hand, if someone was never very happy or content, they may become increasingly bitter and angry as they get older.
The idea is that as we get older, we don’t want to do what we used to enjoy doing, because we can’t do it like we did before.
Therefore, we’ll either stop doing it completely, or do it half-heartedly. As an example, people have gone from eating out twice a week instead of the usual for them (let’s say four times a week).
Or they might only go shopping once a month instead of two. Both of these situations mean that older people are missing out on doing the things that they enjoyed doing before.
But due to the aging process – body declining and energy disappearing – it is harder and harder to get out and do the things you used to.
So older people end up feeling more frustrated and depressed about it all, and therefore more grumpy.
Social Issues
Finally, another reason why people are grumpy as they get older is that there are social issues involved.
For instance, people who grew up before this period of time had different experiences than those who came after.
Those who lived through war or social upheaval or constant struggles of any kind had to deal with constant shortages and deprivation.
They also probably experienced some form of loss. While we all have our own issues to deal with that are equally tragic, they are different events and from different social perspectives.
We are now encouraged to talk about our problems and the problems of today are horrifying, but may be baffling to an older person who grew up in a time when technology was vastly different.
This means that when they got older, they were still dealing with all of these negative memories that they have repressed instead of processed, and they find it difficult to relate to us, therefore finding it hard to open up about their issues.
On top of that, they had to deal with the fact that many of their friends died as they aged; meaning they missed out on making new friendships or had spent so long with the same people, they haven’t had to make new friends for many years.
All of these things lead to older people feeling lonely and isolated.
Even families will only visit older people every so often and once you reach a certain age, the isolation and lack of social circles kind of makes it feel like they are just waiting to die.
We don’t need to tell you that waiting to die is an awful feeling, and it weighs on people.
Another big issue that comes into play here is retirement. More than anything else, this is what older people hate most in life.
Retirement is something that younger retirees would wish upon themselves.
However, older retirees often find themselves bored, lonely and lacking motivation. This leads to them becoming grumpy.
Is There Any Solution To This Problem?
There really isn’t one single answer to this question. There will always be people who are “grumpy” no matter how old they get.
The best way to tackle this situation if you are old though is by taking steps to improve your own mood. You should try to keep yourself motivated and positive.
Make sure that you’re getting enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat well. Also make sure that you take time to relax every day.
Try not to worry too much about what others think of you, and focus on being happy and content within yourself.
Also, don’t let age slow you down. Sure, there are things that we are no longer able to do as we age, but that just means we need to adjust our activities and expectations.
If you can’t go a full 18 holes in golf, go for 9 holes instead. If you can no longer hold a guitar because of arthritis, get a pedal steel guitar. Workarounds are the key to keeping positivity.
Conclusion
Old people are grumpy for the same reasons as teenagers, it’s just the problems are reversed.
Instead of a flood of hormones and growth entering their bodies and them having to deal with it, old people are losing function and ability and having to deal with that.
Once you reach a certain age, your body just seems to hurt, and you can’t deal with issues as effectively.
However, grumpiness is a state of mind and as long as you adjust your life to deal with these problems, they should affect you as much.