What We Get Wrong About Our Midlives : 1A When most people think of the a midlife crisis, they picture a man in his 50s dating a younger woman and buying a sports car.

But what does this depiction of midlife get wrong and who gets left behind by this narrative? What changes actually take place during our midlives and why is this period of life so under-researched despite everyone alive having decent odds of living through it?

We gather a panel of experts and sit down to break down our midlives.

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What We Get Wrong About Our Midlives

What We Get Wrong About Our Midlives

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A mother and child cool off under a fountain in Coney Island on a hot afternoon in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A mother and child cool off under a fountain in Coney Island on a hot afternoon in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

When most people think of the a midlife crisis, they picture a man in his 50s dating a younger woman and buying a sports car.

But what does this depiction of midlife get wrong and who gets left behind by this narrative?

What changes actually take place during our midlives and why is this period of life so under-researched despite everyone alive having decent odds of living through it?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.