
Get a Midlife  - jamesbritt
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/sunday-review/get-a-midlife.html?_r=2&hp&pagewanted=all
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zupatol
And this other study comes to the opposite conclusion: "People are least happy
in their 40s and early 50s. They reach a nadir at a global average of 46".

<http://www.economist.com/node/17722567>

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prophetjohn
Obviously, I have no first-hand experience to speak from, but I can't help but
think that there's likely to be some systematic bias involved in asking
exclusively people over 65. I'm not claiming I know specifically what it is,
but it seems overwhelmingly likely. It may have something to do with their 40s
being the most recent previous "era" of their life; they're so far removed
from the person they were when they were 20 and 30 that it's just not
fathomable to go back to that.

I don't necessarily know what it would be, but I'd take the results of the
poll with a grain of salt, especially considering this contradictory link.

~~~
jpdoctor
> _they're so far removed from the person they were when they were 20 and 30
> that it's just not fathomable to go back to that._

I asked my wife's grandfather on his 88th birthday: Forget the mirror, how old
do you feel on the inside? His answer: 33.

As a 48 yo, I gotta tell you I wouldn't believe I'm mentally past 22 without
the mirror. But maybe that just means I'm incredibly immature. :)

~~~
rimantas
I am 38 and still mostly feel like a teenager. There is an interesting look at
the issue
[http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/03/what...](http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/03/whats_your_perm.html)

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mathattack
As someone nearing that middle, I think a lot of it is which direction you
look. Was high school your peak, is this moment the peak, or will next year be
the peak? And what do you mean by peak? Physical, mental, spiritual, social?

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awda
Lots of proof-by-example and "look at this product sold to improve your life!"
towards the bottom of the article -- ugh.

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eddy_chan
The points he brings up applies well to 'older' startup founders. It's hard to
quantify but that extra life experience does make one better at negotiating,
give more confidence in ones abilities, make you better at BS-detection and so
on and so forth.

Additionally, you've probably passed through the various stages of being
motivated by wanting to impress women, by wanting to gather materialistic
wealth (and fast), by wanting to impress your peer-group, older founder is now
doing it for more intrinsic reasons which makes for sustainable long-term
motivation and commitment.

I say this as a 30 y.o guy who's currently learning how to code (previously a
product manager at BigCorp) so I can build my own project this year. Sometimes
I think to myself I wish I did this earlier but then I realise that the sum of
my life experience has put me where I am now.

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cicero
I know I'm just one data point, but I'm happier now at age 49 than ever
before.

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vishaldpatel
Step 1: Get a life.

