Well-being follows a U-shaped curve over the lifespan, reaching a low point (nadir) around age 47-48, a period that often coincides with the challenges of perimenopause before a natural rebound.

noli's read

Research in the economics of happiness and psychology indeed supports the existence of a U-shaped curve of subjective well-being over the lifespan. A major cross-sectional study published in 'Social Science & Medicine' (Blanchflower & Oswald, meta-analysis/observational data) confirms this trend in many countries. This mid-life trough is well-documented, although its intensity varies according to socioeconomic factors. The association made by the creator between this nadir and perimenopause is a logical observation consistent with the lived reality of many women, although science cannot isolate hormonal biology as the sole cause of this complex phenomenon. It is not a medical inevitability, but rather a time window where psychosocial stressors (family life, career, aging) often accumulate. The idea that well-being improves after this phase is supported by data showing an improvement in emotional regulation with age.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.