Some drink anticipating 'bad' old age

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- In anticipation of a "miserable" old age, young men are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors such as binge drinking, Irish researchers said.

Dr. John Garry and Dr. Maria Lohan of Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, said young men who believe that happiness declines with age are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors and their misguided negative view of the aging process may act as a disincentive to behave "sensibly" and encourage them to make the most of the present.

The researchers analyzed data from face-to-face interviews with more than 1,000 citizens of Northern Ireland at age 15, 30 and 70.

Young people estimated that happiness declined with age, whereas in actual fact there was no difference between the self-reported happiness levels of young people and old people, the researchers said.

"Our findings confirm, in the case of binge drinking by men, that risky health behavior in youth is associated with an underestimation of happiness in old age," Garry and Lohan said in a statement.

"It may be worthwhile to emphasize, to young men in particular, the positive impact on their lives of reducing alcohol and inform them about happiness in old age."

The finding were published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.