In Our Prime

October 10, 2011
Those between the ages of 40 and 64 make up one-third of the U.S. population and control almost 70% of its net worth, making them the largest, wealthiest, and most influential segment of the country. Yet, as Cohen, a cultural reporter for the New York Times, shows, the idea of middle age is a relatively recent concept that emerged during America’s industrialization and urbanization; migrations to cities resulted in age- and occupation-related—not familiar—groupings. Tracing the “invention” of middle age alongside technological and scientific breakthroughs, this witty and engaging study synthesizes history, psychology, and the latest scientific research on the “middle-aged brain.” Cohen looks at the industries that have sprouted to understand and market to this cohort—the current ad campaigns and TV shows targeting the “alpha boomers,” who collectively spend more than $1.8 trillion annually—and how the new group has changed society, through readings of Carl Jung and Erik Erickson, whose work recognized middle age as a critical period of human life; the evolving attitudes toward middle-aged women; and the forces of self-improvement and mass consumption—hormone therapies, anti-aging drugs, plastic surgery—that contribute to the “Midlife Industrial Complex.” This comprehensive and entertaining social history highlights the possibilities of the middle years—and shows how middle age reflects the attitudes and customs of each generation that passes through it.