For the first time in history, there are more elderly people in the world than young children, according to the United Nations. Their figures reveal that the number of over-65s surpassed that of under-fives at the end of 2018. There are now around 705 million people over 65 on the planet, while those aged 0-4 number about 680 million.

Paradoxically, even though more people than ever are turning into grandparents, aging is still largely considered taboo in Western society. The anti-aging market is soaring with P&S Intelligence calculating its revenue will be worth $421.4 Billion by 2030. Numbers are staggering, but they reveal so much more than that. What if the fear of getting old is so widespread it has become a sort of fuel for the consumer market of our century?

To find out more about why our society is so obsessed with youth, and what implications it has on ourselves, Bored Panda reached out to Meg Selig, a counselor, writer and book author who recently released a book “Silver Sparks: Thoughts on Growing Older, Wiser, and Happier.”

“The fear of getting old is so common that it even has its own acronym—FOGO, the Fear of Getting Old,” Meg said and continued: “A survey of Americans by the drug company Pfizer found that 87% of people have at least one fear about getting old. (I was surprised to find that 13% of people don’t have any anxiety about getting old.) 23% of Americans worry about decline in their physical ability, 15% worry about memory loss, 12% fear running out of money, and 12% are concerned about chronic illness. Only 10% of those surveyed say they fear dying.”

However, Meg also shared some reassuring information which is that “Worldwide surveys consistently show that the stereotypes of grumpy, unhappy, or decrepit older people are false.” She also added that numerous surveys and studies reveal that in fact, older people are happier people, despite the challenges that aging brings.

“One of my goals in writing my book on healthy aging, Silver Sparks: Thoughts on Growing Older, Wiser, and Happier, was to ease fears that younger people may have about aging,” she said and added that: “For the record, I am an incredibly happy older person at age 76—happier, in fact, than I have ever been. And most older people are healthy, too. Only 1-2% of 'olders' over 65 live in nursing homes.”

The book author believes that no one of any age ought to let their age define who they are. “At the same time, I do think there are unique qualities about being older. Some of those qualities: the desire to leave a legacy; an emphasis on personal growth; the willingness to mentor and nurture the 'youngers'; the ability to appreciate the small moments of pleasure that life provides,” she explained.

“A few more words about pleasure: In Okinawa, Japan, people live longer than anywhere else in the world. They have cultivated the ability to find joy in the small things and have even given this ability a name—ikigai.” It turns out that researchers believe it is “ikigai” that accounts for the Okinawans’ longevity.

When asked how aging affects or doesn't affect our personalities, Meg said that there is one factor that can affect a person’s satisfaction with aging, their daily happiness, and their longevity. “That factor is whether a person has a purpose in life. That purpose can be a so-called 'higher purpose' like helping others, volunteering, writing, creating a work of art, or contributing to the welfare of one’s family or community.”

The purpose can also be just enjoying the moment and having fun. “A former colleague said after he retired, 'If it isn’t fun, I don’t do it.' That was his purpose. It doesn’t matter what your purpose is as long as it gives you something to look forward to when you get up in the morning,” the author explained.

Meg also said that her work purpose is sharing information on healthy aging, happiness, and habits. “I do this through my 'Changepower' blog at psychologytoday.com, my books, and social media. Thanks to this mission, my personality has changed,” she revealed and added that “I am more confident, more focused, and a better communicator than when I was younger.”

Meg concluded that “personality changes are linked with your own decisions about how you want to spend your 'bonus years' of life. There's no one right answer—just the answer that works best for you.”