When does middle age really begin? On your 53rd birthday: Rising life expectancy means it no longer hits when you're 41

  • Study of 2,000 men and women found attitudes towards becoming middle-aged are changing
  • Rising life expectancy and healthier lifestyles are pushing milestone back
  • It was initially thought that 41 was considered middle-aged but now its 53

By LOUISE ECCLES FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Published: | Updated:

Something dramatic has happened to middle age – it has suddenly got a lot older than it used to be.
For while we once believed that the landmark began at 41, we now think that middle age does not start until you are 53.

Rising life expectancy and healthier lifestyles are credited with pushing the milestone back by a comforting 12 years. And the lines between young and old are increasingly blurred, a survey shows.

You are seen as middle aged if you enjoy afternoon naps, choose comfort over style and groan when you bend down, according to a survey of 2,000 adults. Other supposed signs of middle age cited by those questioned included going on cruise holidays and preferring a quiet night in to a night out.

Only as old as you feel: Taking a flask of tea on a day out is considered a very middle-aged thing to do

Only as old as you feel: Taking a flask of tea on a day out is considered a very middle-aged thing to do

Rising life expectancy and healthier lifestyles mean the average person doesn't hit middle-age until they are 53

Rising life expectancy and healthier lifestyles mean the average person doesn't hit middle-age until they are 53

The study of 2,000 adults, commissioned by healthcare provider Benenden Health, found that almost half of over-50s felt they had not yet experienced middle age, while three-quarters said there  was now a smaller divide between age groups.

Eight in ten thought the term ‘middle age’ was much harder  to define than it used to be and  the same number said it was a state of mind now, rather than a physical milestone.

Reassuringly for the Saga generation, more than half of respondents even said there was no such  thing any longer as a ‘middle age’ stage of life. When asked to describe signs of impending middle age, Britons cited a frustration with modern technology, forgetting people’s names, and thinking that teachers, doctors and policemen look very young.

Losing touch with everyday technology such as tablets and TVs was another feature of turning middle-aged, according to the study

Losing touch with everyday technology such as tablets and TVs was another feature of turning middle-aged, according to the study

Buying travel sweets for car journeys and taking a flask of tea on day trips are also seen as signs of middle age, as are listening to  The Archers, watching The Antiques Road Show and joining The National Trust.

Paul Keenan, head of communications at Benenden Health, said: ‘Brits are happily skipping over the traditional notions of “middle age” as the lines become blurred between what is classed as “young” and “old”.

‘A variety of factors – including more active lifestyles and healthier living – mean that people find their attitudes towards getting older are changing. It’s clear what age you are has become less important in determining how young you feel.

‘People no longer see “middle age” as a numerical milestone and don’t tend to think of themselves as “old” as they hit their 50s and beyond. Living a healthy and varied lifestyle helps people to keep feeling young and we see people embracing getting older. “Middle age” is becoming a term with less and less significance.’

The survey found that people were three times more likely to say they had entered a new stage in life when they turned 50 than when they turned 30 or 40.

Eighty-four per cent of those surveyed said that if you thought of yourself as old then you would start to feel old, while the same number said their happiness was directly related to their health.
Illness and memory loss are the things that people said they most fear about growing old.

... and the 20 tell-tale signs are if you:

Past it: Needing an afternoon nap is another sign you have reached your middle-age

Past it: Needing an afternoon nap is another sign you have reached your middle-age

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