11 Reasons Millennials Will Never Have A Midlife Crisis Like Boomers & Gen X
Is it because millennials are better off than their parents and grandparents?
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock Despite the older end of the millennial generation entering their early 40s, they've collectively dispelled the idea of "midlife crises," despite watching their Gen X and baby boomer family members go through the stereotypical consequences like making lavish purchases, changing careers, or adopting a new appearance to cope with a loss of purpose. Instead, they're arguing they don't have the means, time, or mentality necessary to feed into a midlife crisis.
Many of the reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X are tangible, but some people argue they've also experienced a shift in their mindset, allowing them to acknowledge and work away from the chaos of a midlife crisis and instead focus on what's in their control.
Here are 11 reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X
1. They've mastered the art of detachment
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Mastering the art of detachment to live an unbothered life isn't easy, but millennials — who have spent the greater part of their lives trying to figure out how to live a comfortable life amid worldly chaos — have been forced to adopt it out of survival.
Reading the headlines, using social media, and navigating their financial burdens can be emotionally and physically draining, but for those who have mastered the art of letting go and detaching themselves, everything is a little bit easier.
The detachment theory is also one of the reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X, as they're less attached to the idea of societal expectations for their relationships, career, financial situation, or personal goals.
In fact, alongside younger peers like Gen Z, who are challenging traditional stereotypes and expectations, it's a lot easier to let go of the pressure of "success" that their parents and grandparents held them to in adulthood.
2. They've already lived in crisis mode for most of their lives
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Many millennials can't even comprehend what a midlife crisis would look like, considering they've been living a "crisis life" since they were teenagers. From Y2K, to 9/11, the rise of social media, recessions, the pandemic, lingering student loans, and personal economic crises, millennials have unfortunately been through it all compared to other older and even younger generations that were financially stable (or unborn) when they were navigating turmoil.
It's all of these things and, for many, a tumultuous childhood with overworked, stressed out, and financially unstable parents, that has kept millennials from truly focusing on themselves for the majority of their lives. They've lived in survival mode for a long time, struggling to keep their head above the rapid waters of draining worldly events and financial instability.
3. They can't afford it
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Many millennials can't afford to have a midlife crisis, shackled by the stable income of their jobs and monthly bills that are becoming increasingly difficult to meet on a stagnant salary. According to a CFP Board research report, this is part of the reason why millennials' top priority and goal in life is to achieve financial independence — or, at the very least, a sense of financial comfort.
But, for right now, they can't make a big career change, take time off to travel, or make any of the lavish purchases that their boomer and Gen X family members looked back on fondly from their own midlife crises at the same age.
4. Lavish purchases are too expensive now
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Many millennials made it to the middle class after a decade of climbing the corporate ladder and going to school only to find out that it's now considered "poverty." With a shrinking middle class and an even more tumultuous approaching economy, there's a number of financial reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X.
For example, the sports cars, plastic surgery, or career changes that older generations could afford amid a midlife crisis are no longer feasible for millennials to afford. They can't "panic buy" a Corvette; in fact, they can hardly afford the student loans they're still paying off, their rent or mortgage payments, and rising costs affecting many younger generations, like the World Economic Forum suggests.
5. Their promises for success were unfulfilled
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Many of the societal promises millennials were given about following a "traditional life path" were fruitless, which is one of the reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X — they don't have the financial or social ability to do so.
They're too busy stressed about finding the financial stability that they've yearned for, especially after getting a degree and realizing that it's not worth nearly as much as it was for their boomer and Gen X peers.
Other promises, like being able to have a big family, travel often, buy a home, and put away money for savings and retirement, have also been unfulfilled. Many followed the traditional track, got an education, only to be left in a stagnant job with student loans, compared to their financially comfortable and free parents and grandparents.
6. They're too tired
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Many millennials are too tired to consider altering their routines or making a big change with a midlife crisis. But they're not just physically tired, overworking themselves and starting their families, they're emotionally exhausted by the societal critiques they've been forced to shoulder, especially at the hands of Gen Z online.
Despite being incredibly similar — both grew up alongside the internet, recessions, and timely world issues — there's a clear tension between Gen Z and millennials, according to data from Pew Research Center.
From picking jokes about millennials' attitudes online to resenting them for building careers early in adulthood, Gen Z can't help but to poke fun, oftentimes at the expense of millennials' comfort, empathetic nature, and emotional well-being online.
It's part of the reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X — some are sick of being critiqued and would prefer to stay out of the way and avoid making huge life changes that result in more unnecessary stress, judgment, and criticism.
7. They're stuck in the past
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According to senior trends analyst Stephanie Harlow, millennials are almost leading the pack when it comes to nostalgia for early in their lives — almost 15% prefer to think about the past and another 47% are driving nostalgia in the media. Rather than envision how their lives could be different today — sparked by all the stereotypical changes a midlife crisis typically brings — they enjoy living in the past.
Reminiscing on their childhoods and the bliss of the late 90s, they find solace from the stress of their financial, professional, and social lives today by living somewhat in the past. They're too busy and taken up by the peace of that time to consider, even if they could afford it, uprooting their life for the sake of finding meaning, many believe they can find it in the past.
8. They recognize the early signs of a midlife crisis
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Brand marketing expert Katya Varbanova revealed that she's recognized and experienced a great deal of the early signs of a midlife crisis — things like anxiety, a loss of meaning, or a shifting identity — as a result of being "chronically online."
Of course, even recognizing these symptoms and being aware of how they can transform can't always fend off an incoming midlife crisis, but Varbanova suggests millennials are "reshaping" the way a crisis looks, making it less detectable to older generations.
For example, they may restructure their routine or plan for a change in career when they start feeling these symptoms, rather than impulsively quitting or spending, like a traditional midlife crisis usually sparks. "We're the first generation that realized that money isn't worth it if it costs you your soul and freedom," Varbanova said. "I believe millennials truly crave both."
To uplift their values of freedom and independence, millennials' "midlife crisis" may take different forms, especially if they're able to recognize the symptoms and address them much earlier than their boomer and Gen X counterparts could at the same age.
9. They don't have the time
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According to a survey from the Thriving Center of Psychology, nearly 60% of millennials argue they "don't have the time" to have a midlife crisis to the same extent as their parents and grandparents. Considering 70% aren't at the point they thought they'd be in at this stage of their lives, many are overworking themselves trying to meet goals, craft their futures, and balance work and family responsibilities in their daily lives.
Not having the time may seem simple, but it's still one of the reasons millennials will never have a midlife crisis like boomers and Gen X. Of course, they're still experiencing the loss of purpose or a desire for meaning in their lives — similar to their older counterparts approaching a midlife crisis — but many don't have the time or money to experiment with finding it.
10. They feel trapped in their lives
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The Thriving Center of Psychology data reveals another unsettling fact about millennials — nearly 50% of them feel "trapped" in their lives. Whether it's family responsibilities, financial struggle, their careers, or other circumstances, many millennials are grappling with a sense of uncertainty and inadequacy that prevents them from making any kind of life change, let alone grandiose ones associated with midlife crises.
"Being told the same old tropes of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, getting married at a young age, buying your own home after getting your 'adult' job... leads to feelings of inadequacy," licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Tirrell De Gannes suggested.
"When most to all of your goals are unreachable or further from reach than they were before, we compare to those that have succeeded on social media, and access to mental health support seems like a distant luxury, it is easy to fall into a feeling of being trapped."
11. They're less interested in changing their appearance
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Things like weight loss and plastic surgery are fundamentals of the stereotypical midlife crisis, but data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggests that millennials are less interested in altering their physical appearance than older generations like Gen X and baby boomers.
On any given day, they're not fantasizing about changing their bodies or getting Botox, so when they start experiencing stress or periods of turmoil, it's not the first thing on their mind to cope. In fact, in 2022, only 16% of total cosmetic procedures were done on millennials, compared to 45% for Gen Xers and 30% for baby boomers.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
