The finding that mid-life crises may not be uniquely human suggests that the events might have a biological, rather than a sociological, cause.
Social and economic factors, such as financial hardship and the failure to realize unrealistic ambitions, are possible causes.
They sought to assess the well-being of captive chimpanzees and orangutans as judged by their keepers or those who knew them well.
The apes covered all age ranges, and their ‘happiness’ was rated through a survey answered by their keepers.
Weiss is intrigued by the idea that all apes share a common biological basis for a dip in happiness in middle age.
“Maybe evolution needed us to be at our most dissatisfied in midlife,” says co-author Andrew Oswald, who is based at the University of Warwick, UK.
Unhappiness can be a catalyst for change, potentially spurring unhappy adults to act more adaptively, for instance, by seeking out mates. »
