Why Millennials Are in for a Worse Midlife Crisisthan their Parents
Marriage, it turns out,lessens the dip in happiness that happens in one's late 40s. But most Gen Y-ershave steered clear of the altar.
I’ma happily married 28-year-old with a beautiful wife and son. My life is good.
Butif research is correct, I will grow increasingly more dissatisfied with my lifeover the next 20 years, which is terrifying.
Themidlife crisis is very real.
Studies show thatpeople are pretty happy when they’re young and when they’re older—thankyouthful exuberance and not having to work, respectively. But between 46and 55, folks endure peak ennui.
Thathappiness ebbs as one ages is not particularly surprising. Careersplateau, dreams are deferred and bills increase in quantity and frequency.
ThisU-shaped happiness curve has been the focus of a lot of research recently andmany nations (from Britain to Bhutan) have shown interest in augmentingcitizens well-being with the intent that gross happiness is just as importantto the economy as the gross domestic product.
Onerecent study onthe topic—published in the National Bureau of Economic Research—has me feelingjust a little bit less sad about my upcoming depression. It found that marriedfolks like myself, will experience a less dramatic midlife crisis than theirnon-married peers.
AuthorsShawn Grover and John Helliwell used data from two U.K. surveys and found thatwhile life-satisfaction levels declined for those who married and those whodidn’t, the middle-age ｄrop was much less severe for the betrothed, evenwhen controlling for premarital happiness.
Havinga dedicated partner, it seems, eases the burden of watching your youth passslowly through your fingers. Tying the knot can soften the blow, in theother words.
Moreover,people who consider their partner a friend enjoy the most happiness.
“We explore friendshipas a mechanism which could help explain a casual relationship between marriageand life satisfaction, and find that well-being effects of marriage are abouttwice as large for those whose spouse is also their best friend,” the authorswrote.
Thesefindings could leave many of my peers in an emotional nadir: Accordingto data fromthe Pew Research Center, millennials just aren’t terribly interested in theinstitution of marriage. Only 26% of people aged 18 to 32 were married in2013 points lower than Gen X when they were of a similar age in 1997 and 22points below boomers’ marriage patterns in 1960.
Mygeneration still has a few years before they hit the bottom of the U curve. Andperhaps an improving economy will make the prospect of marriage more attractiveto those in my cohort. Here’s hoping.
Ididn’t plan to marry when I did—like most of my generation the thought reallydidn’t occur to me. But my longtime girlfriend and I walked down the aisleafter we found out she was pregnant. And from my current pre-midlife-crisisvantage point, I can see why marrying someone I love and with whom I share acommon worldview will make the process of aging slightly less pale and ugly.
Life’shard, but it turns out that it’s nice to have someone you love to complainabout it with.
Article Source: http://time.com/money/3665682/millennials-midlife-crisis/
Image Source: http://elexitointerior.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/sentido-de-la-vida.png
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Steer clear (idiom) ~ to avoid someoneor something
2. Exuberance (n.) ~ joyful enthusiasm
3. Ebb (v.) ~ decline or recede
4. Betrothed (adj.) ~ engaged to be married
5. Tie the knot (phrasal verb/ slang) ~ toget married
6. Nadir (n.) ~ the lowest point
7. Cohort (n.) ~ a group or band of people
8. Vantage point (n.) ~ a position thataffords a broad overall view or perspective
QUESTIONS FORDISCUSSION:
1. What is a midlife crisis?
2. Why do the millenials usually choose notto get married?
3. According to the article, how does beingmarried help people cope with midlife crisis?
4. Do you sometimes feel dissatisfied withyour life? Tell me about it and how you get over it.
