The midlife crisis

Osea Giuntella, Sally McManus, Redzo Mujcic, Andrew J Oswald, Nattavudh Powthavee and Ahmed Tohamy
Additional contact information
Sally McManus: National Centre for Social Research, London
Redzo Mujcic: Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Andrew J Oswald: Department of Economics, University of Warwick, and CAGE Centre, IZA Institute, Bonn,
Nattavudh Powthavee: Department of Economics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore & IZA Institute, Bonn

The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) from University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper documents a longitudinal crisis of midlife among the inhabitants of rich nations. Yet middle-aged citizens in our data sets 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 the seriousness of this societal problem has not been grasped by the affluent world’s policy-makers. JEL Codes: I31 ; I14 ; I12

Keywords: Mental health; affluence; suicide; depression; aging; midlife crisis; happiness. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap, nep-ltv and nep-sea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/w ... rp_1430_-_oswald.pdf

Related works:
Journal Article: The Midlife Crisis (2023)
Working Paper: The midlife crisis (2022)
Working Paper: The Midlife Crisis (2022)
Working Paper: The Midlife Crisis (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wrk:warwec:1430

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