Want to buy a luxury car, change your life … the midlife crisis would be a myth, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Developmental Psychology. At this age, on the contrary, the majority of adults seem to begin a more serene and happier part of their life. And even touch a total peace of mind.
Researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada) analyzed the same 1,500 people over several years, to understand the evolution of their well-being over the ages and observe the frequency and nature of midlife crisis. Scientists followed a group of high school students for 25 years and another of academics for 14 years. To each participant, they asked the same question at different stages of their life: “How satisfied are you with your existence?”.
Youth is not the age of happiness
The findings of this study showed that, contrary to the often-conveyed myth of the midlife crisis, the subjects studied in this research were happier after reaching the age of 40 than at the end of their teens or years. in their early twenties. On average, subjects went through a less happy period between the ages of 32 and 43. Volunteers were happier in the years they were married, in good health, and in employment.
Young people are more depressed, they have difficulty finding a job and organizing their social and family life.
“They live with a lot of uncertainty. But in their forties, many people have solved these problems and are generally satisfied when they reach the age of childbearing, ”says Nancy Galambos, professor of psychology at the University of Alberta and co-author of study.
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