Spirituality includes various character strengths such as love, hope and belief in something – whether it is God, the universe or simply love. Spiritual people can trust in something and that creates meaning, says psychologist Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello. Image: Picture Alliance
We all want to live happily for a long time. A psychologist reveals what it really takes to be happy in your later years – and how to arm yourself against blows of fate.
Ms. Perrig-Chiello, you have been researching the question of how we can age happily for decades. Why do we find it so difficult to accept the passage of time?
This is because our identity does not keep up well with the process of aging. The body changes, loses performance, and memory becomes worse. None of this fits with the self-image that deep down we are always the same. Then it is necessary to redefine our identity, which is all the more difficult in a society in which age is largely viewed negatively and is associated with many fears.