DISGRUNTLED MIDLIFERS

The midlife crisis has finally been scientifically proven. Evidently, we experience our toughest times in our late 40s and early 50s when, in theory, we should be at our most comfortable, certainly financially.

The research also suggests that at 45, we reach the maximum level of work stress. The paper – The Midlife Crisis by the National Bureau of Economic Research – doesn’t explain why there should be this decline in our psychological or emotional health but surmises that feeling disappointed with what we’ve achieved is the likely culprit.

Weirdly, they also found that chimpanzees and orangutans go through a similar midlife low.

The phrase ‘midlife crisis’ was coined at about the time I was born in the mid-60s. So, from swinging to whingeing in the blink of an eye.