THE midlife crisis is a thing of a past, new research has uncovered, and while that is worth celebrating, the reasons behind its extinction are not exactly good.
We all know the trope of a middle-aged individual - typically a man - experiencing a sudden desire to relive their youth through wild behaviours, be it buying a Ferrari or pursuing a much younger lover.
Far from just a stereotype though, previous studies had indeed found an 'unhappiness hump' - a rise in worry, stress, and depression - that peaks at around the age of 47 before easing off.
According to researchers from Dartmouth College, the declining mental health of younger people has flattened out this midlife misery peak.
"Ours is the first paper to show that the decline in young people's mental health in recent years means that today, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, mental ill-being is highest among the young and declines with age," the researchers explained.
"The reasons for the change are disputed but our concern is that today there is a serious mental health crisis among the young that needs addressing."
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