Midlife Crises

E32: Finding Happiness & Purpose in the Second Half of Life

In this episode, we discuss the book "From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, & Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life" by Arthur C. Brooks. In the opening segment we get a brief report from Alvin on his recent adventure in the canyonlands of Utah, and we do a Gen Z Word of the Day segment in which we see if Alvin knows what the word "cracked" means. In the main segment (9:10) we do a deeper dive into fluid vs. crystallized intelligence, how the transition from fluid to crystallized intelligence is related to midlife crises, discuss our general agreements and some minor critiques of this general thesis, why most of us tend to lean into our crystallized intelligence later in our careers, and how embracing our crystallized intelligence likely leads to more eudaimonic happiness. We end the discussion reviewing some of Brooks's suggestions for finding happiness later in your career and how these lessons might help you transition to a more fulfilling retirement.

E31: Trends in Midlife Vitality Across Generations & Countries

After a long absence from the podcast we are back. In the first segment we read a glowing review of the podcast, we report on our recent midlife crises in action, and give one area where we are optimistic about the future. In the main segment (16:30) we discuss an article in which a group of psychologists report on how Gen X midlifers compare to the previous generations in terms of quality of life, and how midlife-aged adults in the U.S. compare to their counterparts in other countries. As always, please like and subscribe to the podcast, and youcan reach us at midlifecrisespod@gmail.com. You can also follow Alvin Shultz and Jack Eichler on Facebook or LinkedIn.

E30: The Birthday Episode - The Impact of Reaching a New Decade in Life on the Search for Meaning & Purpose?

We are excited to be back for our 30th episode and to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary of the podcast. In the opening 10 minute segment we reflect on how the podcast has helped us cope with midlife issues, and Jack tells a story about a recent grad student who recently quit a job in industry to pursue a career in teaching. In the main segment (11:30) we discuss a paper where researchers try to find evidence that people tend to search more for meaning and purpose in life when they reach a new decade in chronological age. Are men more likely to cheat on their relationships, are we more likely commit suicide, and are we more likely to run a marathon for the first time when we are at a "nine-ender" age? We discuss the research evidence for all these behaviors. We end the episode by reflecting on our current transition from age 49 to 50 and how this is or is not impacting our search for meaning and purpose in life. Email: midlifecrisespod@gmail.com Social Media: message Jack Eichler or Alvin Shultz on Facebook.

E29: Coping with Aging Parents (with special guest host Carolyn Lambert)

In this episode we have brought on special guest host Carolyn Lambert to tackle the topic of coping with aging parents. Carolyn is a certified parent coach who was a guest on the podcast back in episode 11, and she is currently acting as a caregiver for her father who recently sustained a serious physical injury. In our opening segment Jack reports to Alvin and Carolyn whether the book Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck has made him cry yet, we briefly discuss an article by Harvard business school professor Arthur Brooks, in which he argues that pushing yourself to do things you are likely to fail will make you happier, and we introduce a new segment called Wisdom from Alvin's youth where Alvin reads an entry from his high school journal. In our main segment (28:00) we discuss two papers related to dealing with aging parents. The first looks at how demographic shifts over the past 100 years have resulted in middle aged folks being confronted more frequently with caring for aging parents, and the expectations and resentments mid-lifers might have with respect to these caregiving situations. The second paper discusses the different coping strategies we tend to use when caring for our aging parents, and we discuss these with Carolyn in the context of her current situation in which she is caring for her father.   As always, we hope you leave us a five star review and follow us in your podcast feed, and please share the podcast with all of your friends and family in your social media platforms. Arthur Brooks article: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/to-succeed-fail-better/681492/?gift=JlCQzt3MIZaHNzn12_BIC6Ii6LGkjfV5Ze_XJr6BLhw&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share Email: midlifecrisespod@gmail.com Facebook: you can friend Jack Eichler and Alvin Shultz

E28: The Holiday Blues - Myth or Reality? (And an Unexpected "New" Christmas Movie)

We apologize for the delay between pods, but as you'll hear in this episode Alvin experienced some chaos over Christmas and New Year's, so we were delayed in putting out our annual holiday special. Though this is coming out a little late, this should be a nice way for you to reflect on the holidays and think about some potential New Year's resolutions. In the opening segment we hear from Alvin about how his iPhone got hacked, as well some physical issues that he has been dealing with over the past couple of months. You'll learn how a UB Key can be used to protect your phone, and what a cervical myelopathy is. At minute 21:00 we have a holiday edition of our Are You Not Entertained segment where Jack reports on an unexpected movie that you can add to your Christmas movie rotation. The main segment starts at minute 35:00, in which we discuss a commentary from the Journal of Psychiatry Reform that argues the holiday blues are a real phenomenon. We briefly reflect on our own views of the holiday season, review data that suggests the winter holidays are a risk factor for death, explore how the holidays might lead to increases in anxiety and depression, and discuss some of the wellness toolkit action items that might help you deal with the holiday blues and improve general well being.  Email: midlifecrisespod@gmail.com Facebook: You can friend Jack Eichler or Alvin Shultz Commentary from the Journal of Psychiatry Reform: https://journalofpsychiatryreform.com/2019/12/19/wellness-calendar-for-the-busy-physician-how-to-survive-the-holiday-blues/