Psychology: We only develop these 5 strengths in the “midlife high”

“Midlife High”
5 surprising personality strengths in midlife

The Midlife has a damn bad reputation. Most people tend to associate the years between 40 and 60 with negative things: dissatisfaction, an identity crisis, uncertainty about your own life plan, becoming aware of your own mortality. In short: the midlife crisis.

From a scientific point of view, there are many more reasons to look positively at the middle phase of life, as “Psychology Today” reports. According to various studies, it is not only negative effects on our mental health that can be expected in the years after 40. On the contrary – some aspects of our personality are only now really maturing and developing into unexpected strengths. For example this one.

Our personality shows these strengths, especially in middle age

1. Creativity

Canadian psychologist Ann Douglas explains in her book “Navigating the Messy Middle”: “Midlife is a time of peak productivity for many people who engage in creative pursuits.” It is precisely in this phase of life that the brain is particularly good at making connections, recognizing patterns and solving problems. This could also be because we simply have more knowledge in midlife than when we were younger. For example, we read more books, traveled more, and talked to more smart people. And this input also helps us to be more creative.

2. Self-confidence

According to various studies, we are also more self-confident in midlife than in previous years. This is what researchers assessed in one Meta-analysis of various research papers Data from almost 165,000 people. The participants were between four and 94 years old. The result: people were most self-confident around the age of 60. In the middle years of life, self-confidence apparently increased gradually. This clearly speaks against the thesis of a midlife crisis, during which we lose self-confidence.

3. Empathy

At what stage of life are we most empathetic? As children, as young parents or in old age? According to Study by the University of Michigan in the USA There is another age group that can best empathize with others: women in their 50s. According to the study, they were more empathetic than younger or older people – and than men in the same age range. As Ed O’Brien’s team found, middle-aged women appeared to be most willing to emotionally engage with the experiences of those around them and make a real effort to understand them, according to the data analysis.

4. Independence

Women in particular apparently feel more independent in midlife than in earlier phases. The result was one US study, which examined women between the ages of 43 and 52. As they got older, the participants became less self-critical, but more decisive and independent. According to study authors Ravenna Helson and Paul Fink, this is primarily due to the way women of this age approach problems: reflectively, analytically and tolerant of uncertainty.

5. Patience

What also speaks for greater life satisfaction in middle age: we apparently gain more patience between the ages of 40 and 60. A Research team from Germany and the USA compared a large data set from the so-called “Global Preference Survey” and concluded that people, at least in Western European and English-speaking countries, are most patient in midlife. This could lead to a more relaxed attitude that allows us to take life most calmly in this “midlife high”.

Sources used: psychology-heute.de, “Navigating the Messy Middle” by Ann Douglas, psycnet.apa.org, news.umich.edu, academic.oup.com

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Bridget