Middle Age: A Natural History - Softcover

Bainbridge, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846272688 ISBN 13: 9781846272684

Publisher: Granta Books, 2013

Synopsis

David Bainbridge is a vet with a particular interest in evolutionary zoology - and he has just turned forty. As well as the usual concerns about greying hair, failing eyesight and goldfish levels of forgetfulness, he finds himself pondering some bigger questions: have I come to the end of my productive life as a human being? And what I am now for? By looking afresh at the latest research from the fields of anthropology, neuroscience, psychology, and reproductive biology, it seems that the answers are surprisingly, reassuringly encouraging. In clear, engaging and amiable prose, Bainbridge explains the science behind the physical, mental and emotional changes men and women experience between the ages of 40 and 60, and reveals the evolutionary - and personal - benefits of middle age, which is unique to human beings and helps to explain the extraordinary success of our species.

Middle Age will change the way you think about mid-life, and help turn the 'crisis' into a cause for celebration.

About this title

About the Author:

DAVID BAINBRIDGE was trained in veterinary surgery and zoology at Cambridge University, where he now teaches Clinical Veterinary Anatomy. He is the author of four previous books: on pregnancy, on the biology of sex and sexuality, on the brain, and most recently Teenagers (Portobello, 2009).www.davidbainbridge.org

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

In this book I want to find out what middle age is and what it
is for. On our journey, we will try to define ‘middle age’ – that
in itself is no easy matter. If you ask a doctor to define middle
age, they will probably talk about the menopause. If you ask
a sociologist, he may mention empty nests and tolerating
teenagers. If you ask an economist, she will explain careerpeaking,
maternal return to work, and provision for old age.
If you ask a friend, he might tell you it was the moment he
looked into the mirror and realized he was turning into a
replica of his parents. But do any of those things truly define
middle age any more? After all, men do not have a
menopause – well, not in the same way women do. Also,
many middle-aged people now care for young children, adult
children, new partners’ children, or no children at all. In
addition, many people’s careers do not peak in middle age,
and many mothers return to work a long time before middle
age. In short, people do so many different things with their
lives that none of these oft-suggested definitions seems to
crystallize the phenomenon we are trying to explain.
So what is my solution? I am a reproductive biologist and
a veterinary surgeon with a zoology degree, and I believe I
can offer an approach to middle age that will sort out all this
confusion.

About this edition

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1846272688
• ISBN 13: 9781846272684
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336