Middle Age: A Natural History - Tapa blanda

Looking beyond the clichés, veterinary surgeon and reproductive biologist David Bainbridge, who teaches at Cambridge, sets out to discover what middle age is and what it is for . Most of us could have a pretty good stab at the first question, but the latter is where Middle Age gets interesting. Middle age is uniquely human and therefore, evolutionarily speaking, must serve a purpose. Bainbridge's answer lies in the size of the brain and our need for food and ideas with which to feed it ... a fascinating idea. --Financial Times

Fascinating ... In almost every area of his research, Bainbridge proposes several possible, sometimes contradictory, answers. As is the way with evolutionary theories, this often raises more questions than it answers, which could be annoying but is actually thought-provoking and should certainly shed some new light on one's own potbellied or menopausal mid-life crisis. --Evening Standard

There's lots of good news for the middle aged ... A very jolly book with clear scientific explanations --Daily Telegraph

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.