When is middle age?

[2024namechange]

I’m deep in winter hibernation mode and watching all my comfort TV. Currently on Cold Feet (original late 90s version).

In it I noticed they have made several comments about them being Middle Aged.

• Adam is 33
• Rachel is 28
• David is 39
• We also know that Karen is 7 years younger than David which also makes her 33.

The age of the other characters isn’t clear but the tag line is that the story is about “thirty somethings”.

I am 31 and I don’t consider myself anywhere near middle aged. I would consider middle aged to be 40-70, after that you are old.

AIBU?

I’m also wondering if definitions have changed since this show was made, it is 25 years old after all!

Well average age halved I guess gives you middle age, so before 40 I’d say

I would say middle aged is 45 plus. I used to say 40, but I’ve recently turned 35, and 5 years seems to close to me 😭

How can 70 possibly be the definition of "middle aged" given average life expectancies? I'd have said middle aged would be anywhere from 40-50ish.

@WYorkshireRose i guess because I refer to my parents as middle aged and they are in their 60s?

Yes 40 I’d say is middle aged. When is “elderly”? 70 plus? In which case what is 50-70?

We just had this conversation today at work. The general consensus is you've reached middle age when doctors/police officers/fire fighters look too young for the job.

Well im 50 and consider myself wwll into middle aged
How can 70 be middle aged most people dont live to be 130.

Pretty simple. Average life expectancy in the U.K. is approx 80yrs old. Middle (age) of that is 40yrs old last time I checked.

@Blanket601 so when does middle age end? I feel like the middle segment will be bigger than the section at each end

They are not really though are they ?

Middle aged to me is 40-65. 65+ is a pensioner/old person to me. 18-30 is a young adult but I don't know what I would class the 30-40 year olds as, as they're neither young adults nor middle aged 😕

@x2boys what are they then? I don’t think “old” feels right yet!

@digestivebiscuits27 yes this is how I feel. My BILs gf is 23 and I definitely feel old compared to her so I know I’m not “young” anymore…but I’m not middle aged yet!

I'm in my 40s and I feel middle aged if that helps. I remember too many old tech - tapes, crt tv, floppy disks and cameras where 30 photos was your limit. Teachers are young, policemen are young, hairs are grey, I feel like my grandma if I wear the comfy clothes. I can't just 'get up' off the floor.
I feel that the retraining and changing careers boat has sailed.
Fuck middle age - I think I'm old! It all started at 40.

Given that the maximum life span is about 90 for most people, your life can be split into 3 segments.

0-29 Young
30-59 middle aged
60+ Old.

I don't see middle age as a negative though. These are strong years. Working and acting as the powerhouse in society.

See I think middle aged is middle of your adult life, not middle of your whole life, so around 50. Maybe 45-60?

35 to the normal retirement age.

Under 35 is young.

Good point, although it’s definitely not longer than the first segment! Whilst the age at which we start middle age is easy to specify, I think middle age ends when feeling and acting ‘old’ begins. Deterioration of health (and so often wellbeing) happens faster the older we get. Totally depends on the individual circumstance here.

I’d say middle age was maybe 35-55.

At 31 you’re definitely approaching middle age even if you don’t feel it. I don’t feel it either and I’m late 40s 🤷‍♀️

I think it used to be 30s to 50s, but these days it is more like 40s to 60s. Or at least late 30s to early 60s. But some people are middle aged or old before others!

@Blanket601 yes agree with that! I know I mentioned my parents in their 60s being middle aged but I guess that’s because they aren’t living like old people.

My dad likes to keep up with technology, they go to the gym, swimming, out to dinner, on nice holidays. They like to dance at weddings and host big family parties.

An auntie of mine was definitely middle aged from 30. At 70 she was starting to seem young for her age because she hadn’t changed! Only now at 78 is she starting to seem “old”

I'm not sure most people make it to 90!

I would say 40-60 is middle aged, sadly anything after that is old.

To me young adults are 22 to 34, middle age is 35 to 55, old is 60 - 75 and 76+ is elderly, roughly.

Here you go, a dictionary definition:

middle age, period of human adulthood that immediately precedes the onset of old age. Though the age period that defines middle age is somewhat arbitrary, differing greatly from person to person, it is generally defined as being between the ages of 40 and 60.