Are our 30s the ‘golden age’ of life?

Rita de Brun was a widow before 40, so she is sceptical of research that says we are happiest at any particular time. It’s different for everyone. Some people thrive later, into their 60s and 70s. We asked three celebrities in their prime if they were less or more content now.

EARLY THIRTIES is the best time of your life, say researchers at Friends Reunited, the British social-networking site. But that wasn’t true for me.

I assumed by my 30s that I would be finished with college, satisfactorily ensconced in an engaging career, happily married, and possibly raising a family.