What Does 'Middle Age' Actually Mean? Experts Say It's Not About a Number

There's a stereotype attached to middle age that's been around for decades. According to the people who actually study this stage of life, it's mostly outdated.

If you’re still thinking “middle age” is a period of gray hair, fine lines, body aches, and “crisis” resulting in irrational decisions, then you’re living in an outdated era. These days, that notion of middle age has evolved.

When Does Middle Age Actually Start?

If you’re thinking middle age starts in the 50s, that’s not an accurate number today. While there is no exact number, a decades-long study by Margie Lachman, a professor of psychology at Brandeis University, found that most people place the start of midlife somewhere between 40 and 48. Older adults chose a later starting point while the younger ones picked an earlier one.

Meanwhile, "The exit, when you leave midlife, is somewhere between 55 and 65," Lachman said. But ultimately, according to the professor, "What I usually say is that the heart of midlife is the 40s and the 50s."

This is also somewhat the same window for Psychology Today, which places midlife somewhere between the early 40s and the mid-60s, with some researchers now pointing to 45 as the new starting line instead of 40.

Why a Single Age Doesn't Capture It

According to Dr. Baljash S. Cheema, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Human Longevity Clinic, middle age isn’t just about a specific age because two people the same age can be very different biologically. "Genetics matter to an extent, but so do decades of accumulated lifestyle, environment, and cardiovascular risk factors," he said.

This is further supported by Lachman, who says midlife should be defined around someone’s roles and responsibilities, rather than their birth date.

She identifies the "sandwich generation," people who are caring for both their parents and their children, as a better indication of the midlife stage. She describes it as being “smack in the middle,” wherein “you have people who are younger than you and older than you who are counting on you and depending on you.”

The Midlife Crisis Myth

Probably one of the clear indicators of midlife is the crisis known to come with it. However, in reality, not everyone goes through a midlife crisis. Research suggests that generally, people in this stage experience a slight dip in life satisfaction, then that starts to improve by their 60s. This is also known as the U-shaped happiness curve.

But this is not always the case for everyone these days, since others could be thriving, either professionally or personally, during their midlife.

A Chance to Invest in Long-Term Health

This is also the time to correct the mindset that being middle-aged means you’re too old to continue engaging in certain things, like a favorite hobby. It’s better to approach midlife as a stage worth investing in and not something you just have to endure.

As Lachman put it, "There's a lot of positive changes that come with midlife. I think what's important is really having a positive mindset."