The Midlife Crisis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9725101
AutoresOsea Giuntella (0000-0003-3236-0708, University of Pittsburgh), Shea Mcmanu (0000-0003-2711-0819, National Centre for Social Research), Sally McManus (National Centre for Social Research), Redzo Mujcic (0000-0002-7796-732X, University of Warwick), Andrew J Oswald (0000-0003-0628-3294, University of Warwick and IZA, autor de correspondencia), Nattavudh Powdthavee (0000-0002-9345-4882, Nanyang Technological University and IZA), Ahmed Tohamy (University of Oxford)
Año2023
Volumen90
Número357
Páginas65-110
Fecha de publicación2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEconomica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0013-0427 • E-ISSN: 1468-0335
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ecca.12452
OpenAlexW4309114856
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas10
Referencias citadas59

This paper documents a longitudinal crisis of midlife among the inhabitants of rich nations. Yet middle‐aged citizens in our datasets 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. This is paradoxical and troubling. The finding is consistent, however, with the prediction—one little‐known to economists—of Elliott Jaques (1965). Our analysis does not rest on elementary cross‐sectional analysis. Instead, the paper uses panel and through‐time data on, in total, approximately 500,000 individuals. It checks that the key results are not due to cohort effects. Nor do we rely on simple life satisfaction measures. The paper shows that there are approximately quadratic hill‐shaped patterns in data on midlife suicide, sleeping problems, alcohol dependence, concentration difficulties, memory problems, intense job strain, disabling headaches, suicidal feelings, and extreme depression. We believe that the seriousness of this societal problem has not been grasped by the affluent world's policy‐makers

Cohort · Cohort effect · Demographic economics · Depression (economics) · Earnings · Economic growth · Economics · Feeling · Great Depression · Loneliness · Political science · Psychiatry · Seriousness · Sociology · Unemployment · Demography · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology