The midlife crisis is more of a joke than an actual problem in society’s eyes. We laugh at 40-year-old men driving sports cars and similarly-aged women dyeing their hair shocking shades to attract younger men. We dismiss this cultural and social phenomenon as an excuse to be impulsive or to deny reality.
New research shows that midlife crises go beyond being cheesy sitcom material. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research there is a clear difference in happiness between people aged 20 and 40. Despite the latter typically being the most financially prosperous and independent, their joy doesn’t match up.
Even though everyone will react differently to this emotional transition, it can have disastrous consequences. So, maybe it’s time we laid off the midlife crisis jokes?
An Actual Headache Or A Hoax?
Elliot Jacques, a Canadian psychoanalyst invented the term “midlife crisis”1965. He called it a time when many people must face the reality of their mortality. Since then, the midlife crises have become a household term with various levels of support.
Dean J. Murphy is a writer: “Midlife crises do not exist,”He wrote it in a 2020 MediumArticle. “They are merely a marketing scheme based upon poor science and movies.”Five years ago, Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne had similar feelings in an article that was published in Psychology Today.
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“There is virtually no data to support the assertion that the midlife crisis is a universal experience,”Whitbourne wrote. “Cornell University sociologist Elaine Wethington talks about the midlife crisis as a case of ‘expected stress.’ You think everyone will have a midlife crisis, so you feel you have to fit into the mold.”
Denouncing midlife crises can be empowering in a certain way. You don’t have to worry about any potential crisis. This means you can purchase that car, go on vacation, change your career, or make changes in your love life without guilt. As long as you feel emotionally and mentally well, then that’s all that matters. But what if you don’t?
The Real-Mid (Mid)-Life Ramifications
The midlife crisis can be demoralizing for those who struggle with their mental health. If there’s no such thing, then why would these symptoms still affect so many? This is why the NBER study so importantThis is especially important for those at high risk.
A group of economists and behavioral scientist surveyed 20648 people aged 15 to 75. They collected data about suicide, sleep disturbances and depression, career strain, headaches and concentration problems. The data fell into an upside down U, or hill shape every time.
Participants in midlife, regardless of gender or socioeconomic background, reported higher levels of stress, unhappiness and substance abuse. They also had more mental, emotional and sleep disturbances. These results were disturbing when you consider other factors in life.
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“Middle-aged citizens in our data sets are close to their peak earnings, have typically experienced little or no illness, reside in some of the safest countries in the world, and live in the most prosperous era in human history,”The study is available here. “This is paradoxical and troubling. We believe the seriousness of this societal problem has not been grasped by the affluent world’s policy-makers.”
It’s difficult to accurately compare evidence rooted within emotional phenomena. Most midlife crisis studies admit this. However, it isn’t just humans that experience this type of slump. This is a Study from 2012 found similar downward emotional trendsIn middle-aged great Apes, this suggests a stronger biological impact.
Making the Most of Midlife and Beyond
The data is important, no matter if you’re a believer in the midlife crisis or not. It’s clear that emotional wellness wanes around the middle-age mark, despite other markers of prosperity reaching their peak. This holds true for many countries, species, and studies.
However, midlife experiences can be very different from one person to the next. A crisis may seem like a major life event to one person, but it could be something that happens in a month for another. Perhaps the issue isn’t whether a midlife crisis exists. Maybe the problem is how we’re trying to define it.
There is scientific evidence to back up your confidence and security in your midlife years. MangelnCrisis. You’re not an anomaly, nor are you secretly doing something wrong. Your midlife crisis might seem more like one bad week when you were 42, and that’s okay. This research can help you give yourself grace if you are struggling.
Many people find midlife a difficult chapter. These effects can have far-reaching consequences beyond extravagant shopping sprees and flashy Ferraris. These can have real-life consequences, especially for those who are more at risk of developing mental disorders and substance abuse. You can be more proactive in looking out for your loved ones, friends and yourself, as well as for solutions and preventive measures.
There seems to be no one-size-fits-all definition of the midlife crises. It is possible to feel liberated knowing that for some midlife can be both liberating and frustrating at times. There is grace and compassion in knowing this. canSome people may feel it is a crisis.
No matter where you fall on the midlife experience spectrum, you’re not alone. And that’s the important part.