Dave Ross: The mid-life crisis is real, not limited to humans

After studying happiness data from 50,000 people in three countries, Economics Professor Andrew Oswald at the University of Warwick has an idea why the mid-life crisis happens.

“One possibility is that it’s about dashed aspirations, or missed targets,” he explains. “In midlife, you face your failings and if you can come to terms with them there’s one theory that you can then learn to be happier.”

That’s when you buy the red Mustang.

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Or you could take my approach: just lower your aspirations, and hope you’re pleasantly surprised. Which is probably why I never became a football coach.

And it probably wouldn’t work, says Professor Oswald, because the mid-life crisis seems to happen no matter what, and isn’t limited to humans.

“Some colleagues and I recently showed the same is true for Chimpanzees and Orangutans,” he says. “They are very like us of course … but this has dented the theory that it’s all to do with human aspirations.”

I don’t know. Seems to me a chimp could have unfulfilled aspirations: “I’ve been picking fleas out of the same grooming partner since 1995. Is that all there is?”

But we’ll never know. But it does teach us something.

“Perhaps the bottom line is, if you’re feeling low … do cut yourself a bit of slack,” Oswald says. “It’s completely normal and the next 20 years, on average, you’re going to feel better and better.”

At least until about age 70, or when they finally take away the keys to your red Mustang.