Talk:Middle age

message: This subject has had a great deal of research done in recent years. I think this article would benefit from being restructured in a way that facilitates relevant content being added down the road. Removing the young adult section, and having it broken up into physical conginitive, cognitive and social development sections is I think where we should start. --Narrico (talk) 22:46, 20 January 2021 (UTC)
thread_title: Article Organization

message: The information about the US Census either needs to be backed up by citations or to be deleted. None of the footnotes have any mention of this stated "fact".
Violet desiree (talk) 05:08, 23 December 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Where's the paragraph on men's ED issues in middle age, or we just analyzing "crones" here?  B.S. 2603:7081:24F0:9240:CDEC:61B6:5227:E37A (talk) 23:27, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

text: While you're right that the article shouldn't have stated it categorically as a fact, the proper place to argue would be at Ageism, where the sentence links. ThIS article merely states that ageism exists, which you appear to agree with above. — Asbestos | Talk 15:30, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Definitions

message: The article said the following:
In many Western societies, this is seen to be the period of life in which a person is expected to have settled down in terms of their sense of identity and place in the world, be raising a family, and have established career stability.
 
Given that divorce is rife in Western societies and given that most people in Western societies do not see the significance of marriage (that is, it is no different to cohabitation) I think the paragraph above probably needs to be revised to removed.
--Knowledge-is-power (talk) 11:44, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Then do it dude. Abtract (talk) 14:08, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Middle-Aged People Raising Families?

message: Middle age starts at 40. It makes sense that way as after 40 is when the risk of certain diseases and heart attacks becomes greater. Also after 40 is when people start getting age-related eye problems. Also, after the age of 40 most people start contemplating life with a different point of view; more mature, experienced and cautious. Esvake (talk) 00:21, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Indeed it is so, sadly, it can't go in the article. :) Abtract (talk) 05:23, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

text: Describing a person in their late 20s as middle aged is patently absurd.Wjfox2005 (talk) 11:12, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

text: I see it differently. Youth is thd time before you have children, your main aim is finding a partner, middle age is dedicated to raising your children and old age is the time after that when your main focus is on raising grandchildren. Of course not everyone has children but the time frames should be based on the average person. 2A00:23C7:5AD0:8F01:F8B9:1738:CA6D:EE53 (talk) 15:08, 6 January 2024 (UTC)

text: Everyone's been saying life begins at 40.  Wow, that's a bit disappointing.  Should that sort of thing be included in the article?Typing Monkey - (type to me) 10:43, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: "I can't add any of this to the article because this consists of personal experience and my own genealogical research."
Exactly. Anything published in a Wikipedia article must be verified. As a scientist, you would know that the fact that some younger parents have children with Autism and Down Syndrome and some older parents have children who do NOT have Autism and Down Syndrome is not sufficient evidence that the likelihood of having a baby with either of these conditions increases (or does not increase) with age. 
I don't think the article as it is written gives the impression that "the age of the parents are (sic) the major cause" of these conditions, nor does it give the impression that women can't have children in middle age. It's just a dispassionate statement of fact, and whether it makes anyone feel bad is somewhat beside the point. There are many other places online and elsewhere to find encouragement and advice. Sadiemonster (talk) 08:23, 19 May 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: The only "revision" that's occurred is the idea that middle age starts at "40". From the moment the term "middle age" was coined it was defined between the ages of 45-65. Inching it up earlier and earlier is a modern psychological phenomenon and, at best, a fringe view in professional research. The majority of authoritative sources use 45-65, and that needs to be reflected in this article.Jonathan f1 (talk) 06:54, 14 October 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: I mentioned here that I wouldn't call 40 for the middle age time frame fringe; see WP:Fringe. Like this Encyclopædia Britannica Online source states, "Though the age period that defines middle age is somewhat arbitrary, differing greatly from person to person, it is generally defined as being between the ages of 40 and 60." But it is true that 45-65 (or 45-64), rather than 40 and upward, is the more common age range given in sources for middle age. Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 05:58, 15 October 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: 40+ is definitely far more commonly used to describe someone becoming middle aged in most sources I gather online. The guy who coined midlife crisis was talking about how he felt between 35 and 45. The notion that it started at 45 and anything less is revisionism while acting like it's trending upward (at 45+) because we are living longer is absolutely inconsistent garbage. The truth is simple: we are not living longer than we used to, we are simply less likely to die at such a young age. 80 years old now is 80 years old back then, just with better healthcare, but even that's not enough to stop people from typically dying by the time they're close to 80. The people living past 100, 90, and even 85 or so are the exception, not the rule. Schwarbage (talk) 01:46, 16 January 2023 (UTC)

text: This is the opposite of the truth. It was always 40-60. 45 came later on. Schwarbage (talk) 06:36, 18 October 2022 (UTC)

text: Most people do not live past 100, let alone past 80, even today. Schwarbage (talk) 01:37, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
thread_title: Middle age starts at 40

message: This article is far too dour in its listing and explication of the characteristics of middle age. I don't mean this in the sense that I am contesting what is thus far included--most of the material seems consensus-based and accurate. However, there are also biological, sociocultural, and socioeconomic aspects of middle age which are far more positive and, thus far, have not made their way into the section. I'll give a few examples:
* At least within developed nations (meaning industrial and especially post-industrial), one's middle age years tend to be associated with peak earning power, both in terms of actual earnings and capcity-to-earn.
* Recent neurological research has not only rebutted the notion that all aspects of mentation capacity monotonically decline during middle age but, in addition, identified areas where said capacity actually improves (e.g., the ability to handle complex patterned reasoning (vs. linearly ordered reasoning); judgment-based decisional processes).
* The middle-age years tend to be associated with peak-status within familial units both immediate and extended. Meaning, factoring in earnings, social position, relative physical characteristics, experience, etc., the likelihood of having a dominant patriarchal or matriarchal position within a given family unit is most high during this period of time (recognizing that this is a broad generalization and does not hold within all cultures).
These are only examples. Yes, obviously, citations would need to be found. Yes, obviously, there are others. My only point is that the article comes across as far too negative. It's not inaccurate, but it is biased in the sense of what is included vs. what is excluded. Can we try to improve it? Does anyone ever actually read the discussions on wikipedia anymore if the topic doesn't involve an edit war or a request for deletion? Sigh.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.135.151.53 (talk) 14:21, 12 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Let's Add Some Positives Please? 

message: I've reverted the first sentence of the article to an older version, mainly because the older definition doesn't mention any particular age range. I think this is important because:
a) There doesn't appear to be any universally agreed age range
b) Several age ranges are mentioned (with their sources) later in the article. If needs be the Macmillan dictionary definition could be added there.
c) Putting dates in the first sentence leaves it rather open to vandalism - because the reference was not online, the date range had been changed a couple of times and for most people it's not possible to easily check the reference. When I first viewed this page, middle age had been defined as between 22 and 69, and the page had been like that for nine days.
TimTim (talk) 08:46, 14 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reverting the first sentence 

message: It is irrelevant and biased toward a particular family structure  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.173.28.106 (talk) 23:11, 1 January 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  The mention of eggs being saved for an "unmarried woman" is irrelevant to the article 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Middle age. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit User:Cyberpower678/FaQs#InternetArchiveBot*this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20160414054718/https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_449846.pdf to https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_449846.pdf
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).
Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 15:10, 15 June 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Sorry all - the page was locked otherwise I'd have edited myself.
The reference to Erikson's theory of Psychosocial Development has been inaccurately applied in this article.
I would suggest changing the article as such:
Cognitive characteristics
[Delete first sentence] Persons in middle adulthood or middle age may have some cognitive loss. This loss usually remains unnoticeable because life experiences and strategies are developed to compensate for any decrease in mental abilities.[7]
Social and personality characteristics
Marital satisfaction remains but other family relationships can be more difficult. Career satisfaction focuses more on inner satisfaction and contentedness and less on ambition and the desire to "advance".[8] Even so, career changes often can occur. Middle adulthood or middle age can be a time when a person re-examines their life by taking stock, and evaluating their accomplishments. Morality may change and become more conscious.[citation needed] The perception that those in this stage of development of life undergo a "mid-life" crisis is largely false, however by Erik Erikson's theory of Psychosocial Development, middle age can be a stage of role transition, as children grow up and retirement looms.  According to his theory, the middle aged adult successfully navigates this stage of life, termed 'Generativity vs Stagnation',  by finding new roles, and new purpose, to keep life fulfilling.  Furthermore, Erikson postulated that focus shifts from developing intimacy with a partner in younger adulthood, to care of children and grandchildren.
Personality characteristics remain stable throughout this period.[1] The relationships in middle adulthood may continue to evolve into connections that are stable.[8]  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.220.123.242 (talk) 09:57, 29 March 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference to Erikson 

message: Middle age today starts at around 45, not 40, 40 is too young and most sources at the beginning prove this. User 2601:246:5780:BEC0:1E09:DB29:2965:9D (or IP similars used by them) needs to be held accountable for the vandalism and disruption they're causing (with no counteredit to disprove the fact) and that led to the unproductive, useless and damaging protection of the page more than once in just a few days. 151.82.79.178 (talk) 10:44, 31 March 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Middle age today starts at around 45, not 40