Departmental news

People in their midlife are disproportionately more likely to suffer from clinical depression, take their own lives, become dependent on alcohol, have trouble sleeping, and exhibit other extreme-stress ailments.

In the CAGE working paper, ‘The Mid-life Crisis’, Osea Giuntella, Sally McManus, Redzo Mujcic, Andrew J. Oswald, Nattavudh Powdthavee and Ahmed Tohamy use a wide array of population-level health data across all ages to prove that midlife crises are real and affect a high number of people in developed countries.

People in their 40s and 50s in developed countries are typically at their peak earnings and usually have not yet experienced significant illness or disability. Yet, adults in this age bracket report finding it hard to concentrate, say they more likely to forget things, are more likely to suffer from migraines and feel more overwhelmed at work. They are also more likely to suffer depression, develop dependency on alcohol and commit suicide.

The paradoxical association between high living standards and rising dissatisfaction in midlife is yet to be explained. But the findings are a clarion call for policymakers to pay attention to the issue.

The research uses decades’ worth of panel and longitudinal data on health and wellbeing capturing the experience of around 500,000 individuals from developed countries including the UK, USA, France and Australia.

Nine key natural distress indicators were picked from a wide range of surveys including the British household panel survey (BHPS) and the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. These indicators were: suicide, sleeping problems, alcohol dependence, concentration difficulties, memory problems, intense job strain, disabling headaches, suicidal feelings, and extreme depression.

The results drawn from these data sources prove the existence of the midlife crisis. All the markers of distress that were measured followed a consistent trend that peaks between people’s late 40s and early 50s.

Strikingly, the data shows that those in midlife are twice as likely to be depressed than those under the age of 25 or over the age of 65. Suicide rates, the ultimate measure of exceptional distress within a society, were also shown to be the highest among individuals in their early 50’s.

The authors make sense of this by considering the cumulative effect of how smaller issues like poor sleep, headaches and job stress mount up and affect those in middle age over time. For example, panel data from 18,000 Canadians found that migraines peaked in midlife. Migraines were also found to be one of the strongest predictors of extreme depression.

Within-person longitudinal changes in migraines from a sample of over 200,000 people from the BHPS shows a similar trend. The data is controlled for socioeconomic variables including an individual's income and the number of young children they might have. Noticeably, migraines spike at the midlife point, between the ages of 40 and 50.

This peak is found across a fleet of other measures taken by the authors, for example, in reports of alcohol dependence and suicidal thoughts for a one-year period in 2014 from the NHS’s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS). For the 7,500 recordings taken, the peak observation level is yet again observed at midlife in the 40–50 age bracket. The trend is the same for the other six indicators of distress (suicide, sleeping problems, concentration difficulties, memory problems, intense job strain, and extreme depression) mentioned above.

While no definitive explanation has yet been found to explain the midlife crisis, the authors were able to rule out the effects of income differentials and children.

Intriguingly, the spikes at midlife found in the authors’ data are also found in data relating to our primate relatives, chimpanzees and orang-utans.

Whether midlife crises are caused by societal pressures or are an innate biological phenomenon, the extensive evidence of the midlife crisis across the developed world shows that governments need to start paying attention to what is driving unhappiness in society.

• Giuntella, O., McManus, S., Mujcic, R., Oswald, A.J., Powdthavee, N., and Tohamy, A. (2022). The midlife crisis. CAGE Working Paper (No. 641).

• As the first team to enter an all-electric racing car into Formula Student (in 2018), students from the University of Warwick are in to Africa to share expertise and drive electric vehicle (EV) technology across the continent
• They will help launch of Formula Student Africa – a new motorsport competition for students, using only electric vehicles (EVs)
• The diverse team is passionate about increasing representation in motorsport, especially in leadership positions

Students from the University of Warwick are working with fellow students in Africa in a capacity-building project to drive forward electrification in the motor industry.

Members of the Formula Student team are in South Africa this week to share their knowledge on building and racing electric vehicles. Their expertise will be critical to the launch of Formula Student Africa, an all-electric motorsport competition for students across the continent, based on the UK model.

Six South African universities are already onboard for the series, including the University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, University of South Africa, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and University of the Witwatersrand.

It is hoped that Formula Student Africa will help drive the electrification of transport around Africa, propelled by technological advances in motorsport. In particular, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the University of Warwick’s WMG are keen to collaborate with their state-of-the-art research into EV batteries. The student teams design the batteries themselves as well as the shape and components of their racing car.

Warwick Racing’s team principal Prem Gill, second year Mechanical Engineering student, said: “I’m thrilled to lead such a group of highly motivated and dedicated engineering students who share a passion for motorsport and advanced technology.

“The visit to South Africa is a huge milestone and aligns with my own aspirations to drive positive change in the industry and make a meaningful impact in the world. It’s an opportunity to expand our knowledge, network with industry professionals, and showcase our innovative ideas.

“This venture serves as a crucial moment in the development of Formula Student Africa, as we aim to establish partnerships and network with key players in the industry. Our aspirations for this competition are to foster the next generation of engineers and help to drive sustainability in motorsport.”

Alongside their ground-breaking work on electric racing cars, Warwick’s Formula Student team is championing representation in the motorsport industry. Of the 120 team members, more than 40 are women. 40% of the senior positions in the team are also filled by women.

Warwick Racing’s Chief Suspension Engineer Marieta Kysela, a second year Systems Engineering student, added: “Our team is very diverse, consisting of people from all year groups and degrees, allowing for innovative ideas, solutions and meaningful learning. While there is beginning to be wider representation in the industry, I would like to inspire more women to be leaders in the motorsport sector.”

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said: “Warwick’s involvement in Formula Student is well established. It is therefore exciting to see that energy now being directed in a different direction as Formula Student Africa looks to establish itself in the calendar. I am sure that Warwick Racing will share the experience and enthusiasm that is so much part of the team with peers in South Africa and that successful new opportunities will be realised.”

Formula Student is an IMechE competition that Warwick students have participated in for many years. The competition aims to develop young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering. The format provides an ideal opportunity for students to demonstrate their engineering knowledge, and test and improve their capabilities to deliver a complex product in the demanding environment of a motorsport competition.

The ultimate aim is to design and race a sports car. This year’s comp takes place at Silverstone. The Warwick student project team uses the name Warwick Racing.

Further details can be found here https://warwickracing.org/

Find out more about the WMG Sustainable Automotive Electrification Master's programme here.

Ends

University of Warwick press office contact:

Annie Slinn

Communications Officer | Press & Media Relations | University of WarwickLink opens in a new window 
Email: annie.slinn@warwick.ac.uk

Congratulations to Dr Helen Nolan, Warwick Medical School, who was selected for an Education Innovation Award by the ASME’s Educator Development Committee (EDC). The ASME EDC Education Innovation Awards have been developed to highlight, promote and disseminate examples of innovative educational practice in healthcare professionals’ education.

Read the full news item here Dr Helen Nolan wins Education Innovation Award (warwick.ac.uk)

Congratulations to Professor Sian Taylor-Phillips who has been awarded a prestigious £1.8m NIHR Professorship to drive national policy for medical screening tests in the UK. She is one of six research leaders to receive this award, and the first at University of warwick, her research will consider the benefits and harms of population screening, which will help support government policy making. Read the full press release here

Six female scientists, from WMG at the University of Warwick, joined the students at Eden Girls School Coventry to celebrate International Women and Girls in Science Day.

The event, organised by the WMG Outreach Team and chaired by WMG’s Executive Chair Margot James, took place on Friday (10th February).

The expert panel, including Dr Claire Dancer; Antonia Betzou; Dr Elspeth Keating; Farah Villa Lopez; Magdalena Cieslak and Rupika Gulati, hosted a lively discussion with the girls about the highs and lows as a ‘woman in science.’

Each of the scientists shared their own personal journey and explained what had inspired them to pursue a career in science.

Margot James, WMG’s Executive Chair, said: “It's no secret that women have historically struggled because of the gender gap in STEM. We’re extremely passionate about this, and through our Outreach programme we are committed to build links with local schools and the community to provide role models that can help create a more equitable future.

“It was an absolute pleasure to meet such an inspiring group of girls, and I know our female scientists have helped to motivate them in their future career choices.”

A year 10 student from Eden Girls School added: “ I really enjoyed the science engineering workshop because it allowed me to understand what options are available to me after secondary school.

“Having women speak about their accomplishments and experiences really inspired me into thinking more about science, and trying my hardest to be able to achieve great things like they have. I learned so much and enjoyed everything.”

Find out more about WMG’s Outreach here: Public engagement and Outreach (warwick.ac.uk)

A new study has shown that zinc plays a key role in a hospital superbug, that doctors struggle to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics.

Press Release (15 February 2023)

Congratulations to Adam and Tom! We are delighted you have been recognised by the University as 'Wonders & Wows Winners' for all the work you do to engage and promote the wellbeing of Chemistry students. See moreLink opens in a new window.