Forget the red Porsche, messy escapades and questionable clothing choices. The real sign of a midlife crisis seems to be a more serious, difficult-to-treat problem, and Americans seem to be dealing with it more frequently than their peers.
In the late 1950s, a psychoanalyst named Elliott Jaques first suggested that people in their 30s, mostly men, could experience years-long depression caused by awareness of their own mortality. Thus was born the “midlife crisis,” which manifests itself as a sudden urge to take control of one’s circumstances and reinvent oneself in increasingly impossible ways.
Because life expectancy is longer, the onset of symptoms is thankfully not fixed at age 35, but evidence of this phenomenon has been observed around the world regardless of when people enter their midlife crisis. Jacques himself was born in Canada, he first presented his thesis In 1957 he went to the British Psychoanalytic Society in London. But in the decades since, as some countries have taken steps to reduce the burden of midlife depression on society, the mental health of middle-aged adults has become a distinctly American problem.
While the health and well-being of middle-aged adults is stabilizing or even improving in many modern countries, Americans born between the 1930s and 1970s are faring relatively worse, according to a study. study Published in the magazine on Monday Current Directions in Psychological Scienceled by researchers at Arizona State University. At the top of the list are unprecedented levels of loneliness, depression and cognitive decline.
“It’s not just buying a sports car. It’s just ‘How do I spend my life?'” Frank Infurna, a psychologist at Arizona State University and lead author of the study, told us. wealth.
This is not a way of life, it is a system
The study compared U.S. adults who were part of the “silent generation,” or “early Generation X,” with their peers in Mexico and 15 other European and Asian countries. The study relied on indicators such as loneliness, depressive symptoms, memory and grip strength to measure physical health.
In all four categories, Americans who were born later performed equally or worse, the only country where this pattern was observed. Researchers found that while social policies in most countries around the world help mitigate factors that lead to midlife crises, this is not the case in the United States.
A host of “upstream” factors — including health care, income inequality and paid parental leave — make Americans particularly vulnerable, the authors write. EU public expenditure on child and family welfare in real terms up 50.9% Between 2000 and 2022, the United States remained essentially stagnant. The story is similar for income inequality. 2022 Analysis A U.S. Government Accountability Office survey found that income and wealth gaps are much wider among Americans over 55 than among their peers in Canada, Germany or the United Kingdom. Research from Arizona State University found that stagnant wealth among middle-aged Americans compared with baby boomers has impacted mental health, compounded by the need to support Millennial and Generation Z children. own series of financial struggles.
The United States also stands out when it comes to loneliness. While younger age groups are generally considered the loneliest peopleolder Americans are no strangers to isolation. in a study Last year, out of 29 countries surveyed on loneliness, the United States was one of only two countries where middle-aged people were lonelier than older generations.
midlife crisis trap
Other research has controversially argued that the midlife crisis is disappearing in the 21st century, replaced by the quarter-life crisis as 20-somethings struggle with feelings of “hopelessness” and that it is an economic phenomenon. In the work of David Blanchflower and Alex Bryson, previously covered wealthA pervasive sense of meaninglessness leads to dissatisfaction with work and life.
From this perspective, something similar can happen to people in middle age, even if it doesn’t exactly line up with a typical midlife crisis. People in a midlife crisis are really just battling table issues, including taking care of their own physical and mental health and supporting their extended family, rather than impulsive purchases and behaviors.
“I think you could call it a different kind of crisis, but one that’s not centered around a sports car or a complete career change,” Inverner said. “It’s about managing your finances, your health, your caregiving responsibilities for aging parents or adult children back home.”
Blanchflower and Bryson’s argument may be consistent with Infurna’s research, as precarious economic conditions force young workers into unsuitable jobs, creating a sense of hopelessness that lasts into middle age if they are unable to improve their conditions. Bryson says the idea of career ladders being disrupted is speculative but compelling: “Going up the ladder, it feels like for some of them, someone has removed some rungs on the ladder,” he said, adding that he has seen no research that directly supports this idea.
Because of their own financial problems, Millennials are likely to encounter the exact same situation as the oldest members of that generation as they enter middle age.
“I hope I can stay optimistic,” Inverner said. “With housing becoming more expensive, student debt increasing, and our wages not being that high, the trend is that’s only going to continue to be the case for Millennials.”