> In 2008 the economists David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald found that self-reported life satisfaction takes the form of a gently curving U, beginning high in youth, bottoming out in our mid-40s, and then recovering as we get older. The pattern is robust around the world, affecting both men and women. And it persists when we correct for other variables, such as parenthood. The curve is gentle but significant: The average contentment gap between age 20 and about 45 is comparable to the drop in life satisfaction associated with being fired or getting a divorce. Elliot Jacques was the psychoanalyst who coined the phrase "midlife crisis" in 1965, and she was referring to artists such as Michelangelo and Gauguin who experienced unfulfillment from past work.