Why do people get grouchy

As I have aged, other grumpy and irritable people have crossed my path. There are a variety of reasons. Here are some: Some have not had the life they expected. They expected more out of either their work or personal life. Others do not have enough income to live comfortably in retirement. During the economic downturn in and , many older people lost their jobs. It took some a long time to get new jobs.

Frequently these new jobs paid much less than those they had. They retired with a lower Social Security benefit and little or no savings. Some have chronic medical conditions or disabilities. Health deteriorates with age.

Some people have constant pain. Others are disabled. They cannot do what they did previously nor do what they wanted after they retired. Others experience hearing loss. Some are isolated and lonely.

As they get older, their friends start to die. The longer they live, the fewer friends they have. If they outlive all of them, suddenly, they have no one and they find themselves isolated and alone. This may be a side effect of the condition. There are many stock answers. Here are a few. Make new friends Get a new hobby. Get out of the house Volunteer and help others. There are problems with each. Many have difficulty making new friends. Where should they go when they get out of the house? What type of volunteer opportunities are there and where do they find out about them?

Once you know what is causing the problem, you can work with them on how to correct it. Previous Article. Next Article. Males tend to use anger more. So, are those ubiquitous testosterone supplements the solution? Some are physical. They lose even more of their athletic identity. This is not just about sports. Some guys lose something they feel is even more vital — which is why Viagra is such a big seller.

However, the deeper causes of Grumpy Old Man syndrome lie in the emotional and psychological realms. Men go through divorces. They have grown children in rehab. They retire and lose their workplace identity. Some of the flight stuff is withdrawal. Now that we know a little more about the causes, the question remains: How can we avoid turning into Grumpy Old Men?

The key, according to Gurian, is making a true identity shift. We all need to create new, more age-appropriate identities for ourselves. Gurian, who is 55, illustrates this with an example from his own athletic life. He used to be a soccer player. Soccer was an important part of his male identity. Then soccer just started getting harder and harder on his aging body. Every man who has loved, say, softball or basketball, knows this problem. You get into your 50s, and suddenly, your favorite sport becomes, mostly, an excellent way to rupture an Achilles tendon.

Just about the same time, Gurian noticed that he was having those telltale quick bursts of anger, maybe a little too often. He started making a conscious effort to begin an identity shift into his older self. I had to fully shift away from intense sports. The important thing is to shift your energy into something.

Maybe you can coach the sport you love. And in some men we encounter in our practice, those affects can be mostly visible: low mood and irritability. Grumpiness is even used as a mood description in screening questionnaires for low testosterone.

One form many U. Androgen is the family of hormones that controls the development of masculine traits. Question No. The ability to tolerate or deal with it is reduced when the testosterone is low. Certain metabolic and kidney diseases, including diabetes, are known to cause abnormally low testosterone, Shabsigh says, adding the prevalence of those disorders rises with age.

In healthy men, testosterone levels remain within normal limits until about age 60, with a gradual decline after that, studies indicate. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, up to 30 percent of men beyond the age of 75 have low testosterone levels.