36.. The True Middle Age!

When it comes to defining “middle age,” traditional calculations may vary. But in present-day circumstances, research suggests that the true middle age begins at 36! Based on several studies and current social conditions, it’s said that once a person reaches 36, it can be considered as though half of life is already gone.

That doesn’t mean the average human life expectancy is 72 years today. In fact, living up to 72 is considered quite rare in the present scenario. Once a person crosses 60, he is often surrounded by illnesses and frequent hospital visits. So, if someone lives smoothly beyond 60, it is often treated as a bonus life.

Historically, the fact that humans now live into their 60s and 70s is only a development of the last two centuries. According to many studies, until 1840, the global average life expectancy was just 40 years! That’s only an average. Some people claim humans used to live 100 years in ancient times—but that was more of a wish or aspiration. In reality, back then, lack of modern healthcare, dependence on folk or herbal medicine, being closer to nature, high exposure to accidents, and threats from other species all meant that the average life span rarely crossed 40 years.

After 1840, with the advancement of science, life expectancy gradually began to increase. In India too, there was once a belief that families must have as many children as possible—because child mortality was so high. The idea was: if some died early, others would survive. But as Western medicine spread across the world and healthcare improved, this need for “many children” slowly declined. Population growth came under control, while human life span steadily increased.

Today, many people live up to 70 or even 80 years in relatively good health. But medical research now highlights that lifestyle and personal habits play the decisive role in determining longevity.

A major 30-year-long study conducted by the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, revealed striking findings:

The way a person lives during their youth directly influences health outcomes starting at age 36.

Excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and a completely sedentary lifestyle with no exercise all begin to show their visible effects on the body at 36.

Until then, the body may manage to mask or control the damage, but from 36 onward, these bad habits begin to take a toll, and the impact gradually becomes severe.

So, according to the research, 36 is the “borderline age.” Up to that point, the body can resist the harmful effects of lifestyle choices, but after 36, the consequences begin to surface, shaping one’s health and longevity.