Midlife crisis is a particular phase that usually happens during the middle age life of a person where he or she will experience self doubting and various changes of self-confidence level. A new study suggests that a midlife crisis is practically just a myth and not at all related to psychology.
A team of researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada recently ended a 25-year study regarding the truth of midlife crisis where they concluded it was nothing other than a myth. The academic journal of Developmental Psychology published the study entitled "Up, Not Down: The Age Curve in Happiness from Early Adulthood to Midlife in Two Longitudinal Studies" where researchers tracked down two groups of individuals for over 25 years.
The first group is a number of high school students from Edmonton between ages 18 and 43, while the other are university seniors whose age ranges from 23 to 37. During the time period of the study, the researchers asked participants various factors that might affect the level of their happiness such as personal health, employment, relationships and marriage.
The researchers have analyzed the gathered data and found out that most of the participants registered a higher level of happiness when they reached 40 than when they were 18. They also noted that the level of happiness increased when the participants were between the ages 18 and early 30's.
They have achieved their maximum happiness after they got married and had better physical condition. However, some said their happiness were low when they get preoccupied with jobs.
The results prompted the lead study author, Prof. Nancy Galambos to point out that a midlife crisis is not real because the participants in their study actually got happier when they reached the age of 40 compared to when they were 20.
She stated that it's attributed to the fact that these days, those who are younger now have a much harder life than the older ones who already got their lives organized.
