Researchers questioned nearly 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found women were more optimistic than men.

Report co-author Dr Elizabeth Breeze said that women could become happier as they get older as they no longer have to worry about looking after their families.

She said: "There is a difference between the way men and women view their quality of life and they are influenced by slightly different things."

"Women are affected negatively by caring for someone else or if they are not in employment but if they see their children and family more they are positively affected."

"A weird thing happens to male actors, especially movie stars, in my experience," said Helen Mirren, a 62-year-old Hollywood actress.

"A young male actor feels that all the girls want him - he's a star. As actors get older that sense of not being in control of their destiny grates on them and they get grumpy."

Wealth also helps you live longer with the poorest people more than twice as likely to die at any given age than the richest, researchers at University College London discovered.

Researchers found that the poorest fifth of the population were over twice as likely to have died by 2008 as those in the wealthiest fifth. Those people were born before 1952.

In some age groups, the difference was even greater with the poorest women between 60 and 74 six times more likely to have died than the richest women of the same age.

According to the study, you have more chance of living longer if you are married, educated to degree level and a professional.

Single people are twice as likely to die early as those who are married or living with a partner.

近日，研究人员对近9800位年龄在50岁以上的人开展了一项生活观大调查。调查结果显示，女性比男性乐观。

研究报告撰写者之一伊丽莎白•布丽兹博士说，就女性而言，她们的幸福感会随着年龄的增长而增强，因为她们再也不用为照顾家人而操心了。

她说：“男性和女性对于生活质量的体会有所不同，影响他们幸福感的因素也略有不同。”

“照顾家人或失业会影响女性的幸福感，但如果她们能经常与家人和孩子在一起，情况则相反。”

好莱坞女星、62岁的海伦•米伦说：“我在男演员身上发现了一个奇怪的现象，尤其是电影演员。”

“年轻的男演员会觉得所有美女都在围着自己转——他就是明星。而随着年龄的增长，他们会越来越觉得自己逐渐失去了从前的主控地位，这会让他们感到不安，脾气也会变得暴躁。”

此外，伦敦大学学院的研究人员发现，富有也能让人长寿。在任何年龄段，穷人的死亡几率为富人的两倍。

研究人员对1952年以前出生的人进行调查后发现，最穷的五分之一人口在2008年前已死亡的几率为最富裕五分之一人口的两倍多。

这种差别在一些年龄段更为显著。调查发现，年龄在60岁至74岁之间的最穷女性死亡的几率为同龄富裕女性的六倍。

调查表明，已婚人士、高学历人群和专业人士的寿命更长。

单身人士早逝的几率为已婚或同居人士的两倍。