s generally have a greater sense of physical, emotional and mental well-being than was previously believed," said Orville Gilbert Brim, who directed the MacArthur Foundation research project. "Midlife is a good time. People like their marriages, they like their children and they feel secure in their work," he said. The telephone and mail survey over the last 10 years of more than 7,800 adults between 25 and 74 years old found that 70 percent described their health as excellent. Most middle-aged people surveyed said maintaining their health depended on their own efforts. For many of those in midlife, often described as the years from 40 to 60, they viewed their marriages or relationships as stable and relatively happy. Although the women surveyed were less sanguine about their relationships than the men, a total of 72 percent rated their relationships as good to excellent and 90 percent thought it unlikely they would break up. While those under age 30 reported having sex about once a week and those over 70 about once a month, variations occurred where some in middle age had sex more frequently than much-younger survey participants. Very few women described menopause as a trying experience, and half of those women in their 50s said they suffered no menopausal symptoms. One-quarter of the women said they had hot flashes once or week or more, and 13 percent reported having them every day. More than 18 percent reported having attended a self-help group at some point in their lives, although there was a decline since the 1980s in seeking help to control weight.