Middle age is truly depressing, says study
A global study on happiness shows middle age is truly miserable, although an Australian researcher says this is not necessarily so.
A study using data from around 80 countries has found happiness is greatest in youth and old age with depression being most common among men and women in their forties
"In a remarkably regular way throughout the world people slide down a U-shaped level of happiness and mental health throughout their lives," says researcher Professor Andrew Oswald at Warwick University in the UK.
"Some people suffer more than others but in our data the average effect is large."
The study is to be published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
Oswald and Professor David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in the US analysed data on depression, anxiety levels and general mental health and well-being taken from some 2 million people in countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe.
"For the average persons in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year," Oswald says.
"It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children," Oswald says. "Nobody knows why we see this consistency."
One possibility may be that people realise they won't achieve many of their aspirations at middle age, the researchers say.
But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old.
The researchers found that about eight nations - mostly in the developing world - did not follow the U-shaped pattern for happiness levels.
U-shape not necessarily so
Oswald says realising that such feelings are completely normal in midlife might help individuals survive this phase better.
But Australian happiness researcher, Professor Bob Cummins of Deakin University in Melbourne says that being depressed in your middle age is not necessarily normal.
He says while the study by Oswald and Blanchflower is impressive in its size, pooling data from so many different countries would have made it difficult to identify factors that influence depression in middle age.
Cummins says Australian research shows a U-shape happiness curve only applies to people who do not have good relationships or enough money.
He says research has found a gross income of A$100,000 for a household of four helps to provide a good buffer against unhappiness.
Cummins says supportive relationships are particularly important when people are living on low income.