Alexandra Freund, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, was also skeptical. She said the concept of a midlife crisis was shaky, even in humans.
“In my reading of the literature, there is no evidence for the midlife crisis. If there’s any indication of decline in emotional or subjective well-being it is very small and in many studies it’s not there at all,” Freund said.
However, Weiss believes the findings could point to a deeper understanding of the emotional crisis some people may experience.
“If we want to find the answer as to what’s going on with the midlife crisis, we should look at what is similar in middle-aged humans, chimps and orangutans,” he said.
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