The science of happiness and the midlife crisis

Support for LAist comes from

Podcasts Take Two

Nov 26, 2014

The science of happiness and the midlife crisis

A theory called the Happiness U Curve seems to show a dip in happiness in middle age. But don't worry, it rises later in life.

The new 2015 Ford Mustang, its the kind of car that some might assume a guy going through a mid life crisis would drool over ... but what if every assumption we have about the mid life crisis was wrong?

()

A theory called the Happiness U Curve seems to show a dip in happiness in middle age. But don't worry, it rises later in life.

There’s a growing body of evidence that shows the relationship between age and happiness.

The theory is called the Happiness U Curve, and it shows a dip in happiness in middle age, but shows a rise later in life.

It cuts across countries and ethnic groups, and has been reported even in primates.

Jonathan Rauch is a contributing editor of National Journal and The Atlantic, and a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution.

He wrote about the Happiness U Curve, and his own experience with it for the Atlantic.