Research in the News

Prof. Adam Alter's research on the impact of milestone birthdays

New York Magazine logo
Excerpt from New York Magazine -- "The years before beginning a brand-new decade — ages 29, 39, and so on — tend to be spent in self-reflection, according to a new paper published online today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These are the prime What am I doing with my life? years, in other words, which prompts many people to behave in ways that suggest 'an ongoing or failed search for meaning,' the authors write. Their data suggests that these are the ages when people are more likely to either train harder for a marathon or run one for the first time; they’re also the ages when more people tend to cheat on their marriages or take their own lives."

Read more

Additional coverage appeared on Daily MailThe Huffington PostPacific StandardRunner's World and SHAPE.