The happiest year of our life begins when we turn 34 because it's when we start ticking off boxes such as tying the knot, having children and making strides in a chosen career, according to a survey. A study of 2,000 over-40s asked people to reflect on their levels of happiness through different stages of life and compiled the key factors for each decade. Results showed age 34 was the happiest year for most people on average. A study of 2,000 over-40s asked people to reflect on their levels of happiness through different stages of life and found 34 was the age when people were at their happiest in every aspect of their lives . The study also found it is the age when we are most comfortable in ourselves, earn enough money to get on the property ladder, meet monthly payments with confidence and start to enjoy the finer things in life. Meanwhile, those who thought their 20s were the happiest cited the freedom, social life and career progression they enjoyed in that decade. Those who chose a year in their 40s as their happiest enjoyed watching the children grow up and getting a bigger home, the study by home security specialists Yale found. People who chose their 50s said work winding down, the children leaving home, paying off the mortgage and getting a new start after a divorce as their happy factors. Getting on the property ladder was a recurring theme throughout the study and the age a person gets their first home often correlated with their happiest year . 1. I was young and physically fit . 2. I had less responsibility/more freedom . 3. I was comfortable with my appearance . 4. I got married . 5. My family were still around . 6. All my money was spent on myself . 7. I met someone I fell in love with . 8. I had children . 9. I had a wider social circle . 10. I partied a lot . 11. I travelled a lot . 12. I had flings/went on dates/played the field . 1. I had children . 2. I met someone I fell in love with . 3. I was able to enjoy the finer things in life . 4. I travelled . 5. I started making the right decisions . 6. I was making more money than I ever had . 7. I got married . 8. Had a great holiday abroad . 9. I got a great new job/made a career change . 10. Finally got on the property ladder . 11. I moved abroad . 12. My family members got married . The study also found those choosing a year in their 60s as their happiest year so far said the ability to retire, travel more and finally relax as crucial boosts to a positive outlook. A key reason behind being most happy included 'meeting someone I fell in love with' which appeared in the happy moments for 20s, 30s and 40s, while 'getting married' appears in every decade. People were most likely to state that they had become happier as they had grown older rather than the other way round, results showed. 1. I was comfortable financially and emotionally . 2. Work was winding down . 3. Pay off the mortgage . 4. I went travelling . 5. I became a grandparent . 6. Children moved out . 7. Got divorced, started fresh . 8. Got married or re-married . 9. I was at the top of my game career-wise . 10. I got over an illness/condition . 11. Had a big wedding anniversary . 12. Lost weight/got fit . 13. Children moved out . 14. Renewed vows . 1. Felt comfortable with myself . 2. Had a great family life . 3. Met someone I fell in love with . 4. Had a great time with my children/ children were growing up . 5. Got some 'me time' back . 6. I was very successful . 7. I had a lot of money put away . 8. Got married . 9. Got a divorce, started over . 10. Changed career . 11. Lost weight/got fit . 12. Moved into a bigger home . 13. Children moved out . 14. Became stay-at-home . People cited having children and grandchildren as one of their 'happy factors' throughout each decade . Overall people reflected on their lives happily, with 47 per cent able to say most of their life had been happy so far. And 43 per cent said their life had been an equal balance of happy and rougher times, while one in ten unfortunately looked back on their life as mostly unhappy. Nigel Fisher, MD of home security Yale, said: 'With the average age we're most happiest coming out in the mid-thirties, it suggests that the feeling of being settled in your work and personal life while still looking to the future is important. 'Getting on the property ladder was a recurring theme throughout the study and the age a person gets their first home often correlated with the happiest year they chose. 'That sense of a permanent home and place to create new and happy memories is a big part of the study and shows the importance of a secure home environment in making us content with life.' 1. Finally retired . 2. Was able to travel . 3. Could concentrate on hobbies and interests . 4. Had freedom from work . 5. I started to appreciate life . 6. I was able to relax for the first time . 7. Could finally concentrate on myself . 8. Became a grandparent . 9. Got fit and healthy . 10. Got married . Holly Willoughby . Katherine Jenkins . Kim Kardashian West . Paris Hilton . Ryan Gosling . Justin Timberlake . Christina Aguilera . Tom Hiddleston . Macaulay Culkin . Channing Tatum . Jake Gyllenhaal .
New research has found age 34 is the happiest of our lives on average . It's when people start ticking off boxes including marriage and children . Study of 2,000 over-40s found it was when most people were happiest . It's also the age when we're most comfortable with ourselves . Most people said that they had become happier as they had grown older . Celebrities who are aged 34 include Holly .