What happens when someone turns 40? Pop culture would have you believe that it's a magic age of sudden insight, existential questioning, or decisions to make major changes.

Those don't often happen in real life, and they don't happen in TV Land's "The Big 4-0" either. »more»

The answer to this question is, unfortunately, "it depends." And it depends on what type of midlife crisis the person is experiencing -- or if it's even a midlife crisis at all. »more»

According to a comprehensive study of data from 80 countries, researchers at Britain's Warwick University and America's Dartmouth College have confirmed what people in their forties have known for years, middle age is indeed truly miserable. Researchers discovered that "for both men and women the probability of depression peaks around 44 years of age. »more»

A thoroughly unscientific poll of middle-aged British men found that they spend US$48 billion a year alleviating their midlife crises.

That's about US$6,000 / year for every man too old to love popular music and too young to access the retirement fund. »more»

Gloomy Brits, upbeat Aussies, and the dissatisfied middle aged -- a worldwide poll provides fodder for many a stereotype. »more»

Work on your happiness, we say. Make your "to do before I die" list and get to work knocking things off it. Skip over midlife crisis.

Not enough people are listening -- at least in the UK. »more»

Our two previous lists (here, and here) of midlife crisis movies have seventeen entries between them. Bruce Kirkland of the Edmonton Sun nominates six films in his "best mid-life crisis movies" story. Five of them are not on our list. Should we add them? »more»

Are people wired to think they can do "better" than their current choices? New research says:

... when consumers expect to make similar choices in the future, they selectively pay attention to information that suggests that an alternative would be better. These consumers also tend to disregard information that indicates their current choice is the best possible choice.

Admittedly, the researchers were looking at shopping behavior ... but marriage, career, and other aspects of life's path are in some sense also a matter of weighing one's choices. »more»

Although midlife crisis and summer reading may seem incompatible, what better time to reflect on one's path than from a beach chair with the ocean's white noise blocking out distractions (even if the beach chair is in the back yard and the sound of the ocean is being piped through iPod headphones)? »more»

Hundreds of thousands of families will soon see their youngest child off to college, and that means an outbreak of despondent mothers and fathers suffering from empty nest syndrome.

Or does it? »more»