What Midlife Crisis?

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 17, 1999 / 10:24 AM EST / CBS

Most Americans between the ages of 40 and 60 are not suffering through a midlife crisis. As a matter of fact, according to a new study, most are having the time of their lives.

The MacArthur Foundation studied 8,000 Americans for 10 years and found that only about one-tenth said they were having a midlife crisis.

Paul Cleary, a professor at the Harvard Medical School and one of the researchers involved in the study, told CBS This Morning Correspondent Thalia Assuras that people are doing well and feel good about it.

He said men and women feel younger than their age. Also, 70 percent report that their health is excellent.

"Part of it's attitude," he added.

People are in good health. They haven't experienced health problems they have later in life. "The bad news," Cleary said, "things we're doing now may lead to problems later."

For example, seven out of 10 people say they're overweight and 20 percent of men and 40 percent of women get short of breath walking up a slight hill.

Cleary said people know they can do something about their health and 23 percent are working hard at doing well on health.