Understanding the Midlife Crisis and its Relation to Life Satisfaction

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This chapter explores the phenomenon of midlife crisis and dissatisfaction, delving into the role of biology and life circumstances. It discusses the evidence from economics and studies on primates that support the existence of this phenomenon, while also sharing a personal experience of fulfillment and positive psychological well-being.

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution, a member of the Persuasion Board of Advisors, and the author of books including The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth and The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Jonathan Rauch discuss how our sense of satisfaction with life is age-related in ways that are often independent of our objective circumstances; the academic research showing that happiness across one’s lifetime often resembles a U-shaped curve; and how we can better align societal practices to facilitate this midlife transition (and better utilize the assets of old age).

This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

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Podcast production by John Taylor Williams, and Brendan Ruberry

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