What is middlescence?

Thanks for asking, because so many people are in pain and suffering because when they reach midlife, they think, "Well, I've made it to the high point, and everything goes down from here," when actually midlife, in fact, around the age of 47, that's one of the lowest points in terms of our happiness in life, according to the U-curve of happiness.

And the reason that's the case is these are very fulfilling years.

We're making our way in the world.

We're proving ourselves.

Some of us have families, so it's a hard slog, but these are fulfilling years.

At a certain point, we start to feel like, you know what? Not everything is perfect, but it's better than it could be, or it's better than the alternative, and we start to recognize that we're not going to live forever, even though we may live years and decades more, and we start to feel differently, kind of like adolescence.

Mm-hmm.

Is it a release of responsibility? Is it an, an acceptance that you have a limited amount of time? Is it a gratefulness that you're alive? Why is that the happiest age?

So the U curve of happiness is something that I've talked about for years, and I try to stay up with the research because it is constantly changing.

And when you imagine it, I think about it as a smiley face.

You remember that orange smiley face with the two eyes? It is based on huge data sets.

And it has become controversial because not all the data sets internationally line up.

And I won't go into the science, but the truth of the U curve has remained that when we are midlife and better, I'll call it, olderOur happiness increases.

The German economist that you're mentioning, his study was actually a little different.

So what do you say to people at any age, so whether it happens in their 50s, 60s, early 70s, when they're just about to, let's say, retire from a job they've had for whether it's five years, 10 years, or 35 years? What is the mindset that you want people to cultivate as they're going into a retirement phase, if there's even such a thing?