Start Here: Our Key Articles About middle age
Submitted by Greg on July 19, 2006 - 11:46pm.
While researching her book The Breaking Point: How Today's Women Are Navigating Midlife Crisis, Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger discovered that "women not only undergo bigger changes than men in middle age, but they also by some measures have a more positive attitude about their prospects in life."
One key source was "Turning Points In Adulthood," a chapter in the MacArthur Foundation's "How Healthy Are We? A National Study of Well-Being At Midlife." It shows that men and women are distinctly different in a measure of life fulfillment.
Researchers found that before 50, less women than men feel they have "fulfilled a special dream" in the last five years (24% vs 40%). But after 50, women's fulfillment goes up -- to 36% -- while men's falls to about 28%. »more»
Submitted by Wesley on February 9, 2007 - 10:30am.
"Boomers should act their age ... as they age," says Harry Jackson, Jr. of the St. Louis Dispatch. [Source: BoomerGirl.com]
Media hype aside, most individuals in their fifties will tell you that just getting out of bed is a reminder that they are definitely not thirty.
Even people in top shape need to recognize they're not kids anymore, says Dr. John Morley, chief of geriatrics at St. Louis University School of Medicine. "You cannot be at 50 what you were at 30."
Fortunately, it's not all bad news. »more»
Submitted by Greg on January 31, 2007 - 1:49am.
A few weeks ago I reviewed Nintendo's "Brain Age" for the DS handheld and found it somewhat dull. Always on the lookout for fun and worthwhile brain exercise tools, this week I grabbed a copy of Nintendo's "Big Brain Academy" with the hope that a different approach might bring some fun into my mental workout.
So now that LifeTwo owns the two leading brain training tools for the DS (and, judging by Amazon's videogame bestseller list, the leading such titles on any platform), which would I rather use to work myself into a mental sweat? »more»
Submitted by Wesley on October 20, 2006 - 9:06am.
Who doesn't want to be ten years younger? Well, maybe a teenager doesn't. But once you are beyond your twenties, more and more of one's resources start being directed at recapturing youth or at least maintaining what we've got. »more»
Submitted by Greg on January 18, 2007 - 6:32pm.
If traditional "middle age" is from 40 to 60, then the first baby boomers are moving on. But a survey of 800 people born in 1946 shows that many aren't ready to be "old." Although generally satisfied with their lives, virtually all plan to continue to improve their lives. »more»
Submitted by Greg on April 19, 2007 - 2:09pm.
Slightly over 4m Americans should turn forty this year. If you're one of them, you're not alone in having to face up to the annoying fact that you're no longer "young." In the U.S., there were 37.5 million women and 36.1m men age 40 - 59 at the 2000 Census.
What do over seventy million middle aged people do? »more»
Submitted by Wesley on March 18, 2007 - 12:32pm.
"How Doctors Think" and using social networks for your health »more»
Submitted by Wesley on March 25, 2007 - 10:49pm.
By now most of us are well-versed in the statistical relevance of the baby boomer generation--including its size, wealth, and extraordinary influence on world events. In response, there have been no shortage of books studying every aspect of baby boomers and how to optimally market to them. »more»
Submitted by Greg on November 9, 2006 - 2:05am.
You're going to die. What will kill you? And when?
Heart disease. In your late seventies. So don't say we didn't warn you.
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Submitted by Greg on November 30, 2006 - 10:33pm.
A forty year study of nearly six thousand people makes it clear that midlife health is directly correlated to longevity and health in old age.
The good news: your health decades from now is very much under your control today. »more»
Submitted by Greg on July 13, 2006 - 3:43pm.
The Arizona Republic says dating much younger partners is no longer the sole province of middle-aged male dentists:
35 percent of women want to date younger men, and 34 percent are. Three percent of women date men 15 or more years younger, 5 percent date men 10 to 14 years younger, and 11 percent date men 5 to 9 years younger.
The article by Barbara Yost and Susan Felt says that part of the reason may be because now they can: »more»
Submitted by Greg on December 12, 2006 - 6:17pm.
The website Eons reported recently that the top goal for people over 50 is weight loss.
That's a smart goal for reasons beyond aesthetics -- there are long term health problems associated with excess weight. »more»
Submitted by Greg on August 23, 2006 - 2:39pm.
The conventional wisdom is that midlife crises usually feature extramarital affairs.
But one may have little to do with the other.
Middle-aged people -- of either gender -- have affairs. But many have nothing to do with the usual midlife crisis. Rather, they are the result of placing low value on the relationship, and poor bonding with one's spouse. »more»
Submitted by Greg on August 24, 2006 - 11:01am.
Our research into midlife crisis has convinced us that there's no such thing.
No one thing, anyway. »more»
Submitted by Wesley on May 27, 2007 - 6:16pm.
Most people want to live happy and live long. Can you have it all?
The good news: happiness and longevity seem to be positively correlated -- in other words, longer-lived people tend to be happier, and happier people tend to be long-lived. »more»
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Our Most Recent Articles About middle age
Submitted by Wesley on November 20, 2009 - 12:12pm.
One of the worst manifestations of cardiac disease is sudden death and according to a recent study it is far more prevalent than once thought.
Researchers said men at age 40 in the U.S. have a one-in-eight chance of suffering sudden cardiac death over the rest of their lives, a stark indication of the toll cardiovascular disease exacts on society. »more»
Submitted by Lisa on November 20, 2009 - 9:17am.
I'll cut right to the chase: I think my parents taught me that love is putting up with a lot of ill treatment and staying no matter what.
My own notion of love was that it would be like having a best friend and lover for the rest of my life, and we would have little problems but we'd adjust. »more»
Submitted by Greg on September 30, 2009 - 1:49pm.
Feeling old?
Many (Gen Xers) remember Bruce Springsteen's smash hit Dancing in the Dark, which in the mid-'80s was a staple of early MTV, MuchMusic, and Gen X high school dances. He turned 60 a few days ago. »more»
Submitted by gypsynester on August 14, 2009 - 3:39pm.
Here’s the thing. Most of my features come from my Romanian roots. I’ve always liked having dark hair and blue eyes. I am most psyched that my “gray” hair is silver, some people will even pay for that! After all, Dracula was Romanian and by many accounts was a particularly handsome man-thing. »more»
Submitted by hlesbrown on August 9, 2009 - 11:56am.
As I've often written, midlife has little or nothing to do with age. It happens when it happens. It's a psycho-spiritual event, a transformation from adult to maturity, from self-confidence to serenity. The demarcation area (midlife) can be identified by one overwhelming feeling: fear. Even more specifically, it's a fear of 'losing it' (whatever 'it' may be). You don't even have to be able to identify what 'it' is: all you need to recognize the midlife transition is to experience the fear of losing it. Dealing effectively with that fear takes you to maturity; failing to address it leads you to midlife crisis. So, how can you deal effectively with what is very often a nameless fear? All you need to acquire (and, incidentally, this constitutes the essence of the spiritual transition) is a deeper self-knowledge. You don't really 'need' anything . . . you have everything you require.
Want some help? Here's a little exercise that I've put together for you to help you to work through this transition. The instructions are simple: a) Write down your answers; b) Do not read beyond this paragraph until you're finished with the exercise;. c) Work through each of the three phases of the exercise in order. That's it! It should take you approximately a half-hour to complete the exercise. Ready to begin?
- Complete this sentence "I am a _____________" as many times as you can, each time filling in the blank with a different word or phrase (a minimum of 20 times).
- For each of the statements you wrote down in phase 1, re-write each statement with at least 5 different descriptors (for example: "I am a married [descriptor] man [word or phrase from phase 1]."
- For each descriptor-word (or phrase) set, circle the ones that are virtually impossible to change (for example: your height, your IQ, your sexual identity). Make sure that you only circle the impossible characteristics, not the merely difficult.
When you've completed your list and circled the appropriate characteristics, only then read on.
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Submitted by hlesbrown on August 9, 2009 - 11:52am.
No, it's not a misspelling (and yes, I do make frequent use of my spell-checker). As our agrarian past fades from our collective memory, so will the images of pastoral scenes, farm implements, and, yes, even stiles. I even had some trouble finding a decent photo of one (and this one's from England, where the rural life still survives). What made me think of a 'stile' (a ladder providing access over a fence or wall) today was an interview I had last night with Rabbi Ed Weinsberg. Ed faced and overcame the challenges of prostate cancer just a very few years ago, and he's written a book that documents his story (and others) for the benefit of the 1/6 of all men who'll be facing that disease. For Ed, the experience catapulted him to a higher appreciation of faith, love, and even sex.
It's a fact of the human condition: transitions never come easily. They always appear as an interruption in the kind of life we desire and even plan for: a life of security, tranquility, ease, and peace. Yet, as I've written fairly often, the so-called 'interruption' is the reality, the sense of security is the illusion. Our 'common sense' lies to us, and tries to convince us that these disruptive events that come hurtling like projectiles into our lives are obstacles to our happiness and progress. Obstacles? Or, are they, in fact, the steps that take us up and over the obstacles? I submit to you that, just perhaps, these disruptions — even the big and painful ones — are what stimulate change and growth and that, without them, we'd face stagnation and decay. "No pain, no gain" is true particularly because every change involves a painful separation from our status quo.
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Submitted by hlesbrown on August 9, 2009 - 11:49am.
Recently, from a business, personal, and spiritual perspective, I've been doing a lot of meditating on [apparent] failure. Right now, I can't think of a more apropos topic for people facing and experiencing the midlife transition. For one thing, your successes don't precipitate a midlife crisis. In fact, an uninterrupted string of successes can actually insulate you from undergoing the midlife transition, leaving you for longer than expected — and longer than necessary — state of im-maturity. When you're 'blessed' with success, you may be getting what you want, but to your own detriment: not getting what you really need.
I ardently agree with Friedrich Nietzsche that "What does not kill me, makes me stronger." The contrary, may very well also be true: What pampers me, makes me weaker. Getting your own way may, for a time, seem like a triumph; but, is it really? Does it actually move you forward, or does it, more often than not, lead you further into imminent trouble? Do negative consequences hold you back in fact, or are they, rather, 'medicinal blessings'?
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Submitted by gypsynester on August 6, 2009 - 7:05am.
Almost everyday we hear somebody say “I live vicariously through you” or “ I wish we could do what you’re doing.” As inviting as it may seem, it’s probably not the lifestyle for everybody. There is actually quite a commitment to chucking it all and becoming a gypsy. »more»
Submitted by DazedAndConfused on August 2, 2009 - 1:47pm.
I have a question for which I have NO idea how to find the answer. »more»
Submitted by amatchmadein7 on July 24, 2009 - 1:32pm.
Here are some characteristics which men have shared that they do not like in women:
Hair- Untouchable, over processed or bleached, roots showing, badly colored, extreme styling
Nails - dirty, chipped or peeling polish, wild or garish nail color, ultra extreme lengths
Clothing - too revealing, too tight, not appropriate for the planned activity, overdressed, untouchable »more»
Submitted by DazedAndConfused on June 23, 2009 - 11:16am.
This is one of the most haunting songs I've ever heard. This song has to be about MLC, depression, divorce, etc. It starts with a male voice on the left and the female voice on the right. After the crosses, the sides switch.
"For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals.
Then something happenend which unleashed the power of our imagination. »more»
Submitted by DazedAndConfused on June 22, 2009 - 3:55pm.
I had never heard the term "emotional affair" before I stumbled over it in an online article about a month ago. When I read the column, I sat at my computer in numb recognition, followed by a sense of grief and horror. I was in one and I hadn't realized what it was or how dangerous and painful it was going to be. »more»
Submitted by Greg on June 5, 2009 - 4:44pm.
They did it to disco, the station wagon, and personal savings. Now baby boomers are being accused of ruining Twitter. »more»
Submitted by ctomshaw on May 29, 2009 - 5:13am.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. (But then again, I’m sure I said the same thing when I was sunk all that money into my fancy Betamax tape system.) After several months as a member of the Cult of Facebook, I started to have some concerns about the level of personal information I was putting out there for public consumption. »more»
Submitted by Wesley on May 19, 2009 - 7:08am.
"Mom, I'm getting married!" What mother doesn't get weak knees at the thought of hearing those words? After the rush of excitement and joy come so many questions and tasks from the florist to the caterer. So many in fact that it's easy for the mother of the bride (or groom) to forget it's their big day too and who can blame them for wanting to look absolutely gorgeous as well? »more»
middle age : Books, Websites, and Other Resources
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