Snapshot · 2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer
The concept of the midlife crisis only arose after World War II because prior generations simply died around age 40–50 and never reached the reflective phase of life.
Where this was said
At 47:50 · chapter starts 46:12
The midlife crisis YouTube video reveals that the phenomenon barely existed before World War II, when most people died in their 40s and 50s before ever reaching a reflective plateau. US divorce rates exploded from roughly 7,000 to 80,000 after the war as longer lifespans brought the question: is today better than yesterday? [1] — Bert Kreischer "Midlife crises are a post-WWII invention: people only started having them once they began living past 50. Divorce exploded from roughly 7,0…" 46:20 Bert runs the question on himself and Tom — tracing happiness from early stand-up through each career milestone — and concludes he got lucky: he achieved his dreams between 44 and 53, working through what should have been his crisis. But when he poses the same question to LeeAnn, the answer is striking: she said she was happiest raising the girls when they were at home. Everything since has been an attempt to recapture that feeling. [2] — Bert Kreischer "LeeAnn told Bert she was happiest when their daughters were young and at home. Everything since has been an attempt to get back to that fee…" 49:47 Bert says he wanted to respond 'let's adopt some kids' but instead pivoted to the five-apartments idea. Tom draws the chapter's sharpest distinction: there is a difference between being happy and being content, and he detests mere contentment.
Midlife crises are a post-WWII invention: people only started having them once they began living past 50. Divorce exploded from roughly 7,000 to 80,000 in the US after the war. Bert says he got lucky — he achieved his dreams right when his midlife crisis should have hit, at age 44–53, and unknowingly worked through it.
Bert says a YouTube video on midlife crises noted that divorce rates in the US exploded after World War II as people began living longer and questioning whether life was improving.
Bert Kreischer reveals that his wife LeeAnn told him she was happiest when their daughters were young and at home, and everything since has been an attempt to recapture that feeling.
LeeAnn told Bert she was happiest when their daughters were young and at home. Everything since has been an attempt to get back to that feeling. It's one of the most honest admissions in the episode — and it's the catalyst for the 'sell everything' fantasy.
Bert Kreischer draws a hard line between happiness and contentment. He wants indulgence, exuberance, and joy. Contentment, to him, is a failure state. The unexpected confession: sobriety sometimes leaves him merely content, which is his biggest problem with it.
Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety as 'the dizziness of freedom' predates Freud's psychological framework by roughly 60 years, yet modern research has since validated his core claims about commitment and identity.
Between 2003 and 2020, Americans accumulated roughly 24 extra hours per month spent alone — the equivalent of a part-time job's worth of isolation, and that's before the pandemic.
Median age at first marriage climbed from 21 (women) and 23 (men) in the 1970s to nearly 29 (women) and 30 (men) today — a rise of 6–8 years per gender, extending the 'emerging adulthood' liminal phase.
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
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