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: [email protected] Media: message Jack Eichler or Alvin Shultz on Facebook.