The curve of happiness has been kept in a relatively predictable “U” format for a long time: you are happier in youth, then happiness diminishes in middle age, just to increase again in old age. But researchers have found that the curve is flattening, as happiness is decreasing earlier in life than before.
The results were obtained at the Global Flourishing Study, a collaboration between Harvard and Baylor University researchers who analyzed data collected by Gallup of over 200,000 people in 22 countries. They found that on average young adults aged 18 to 29 were unhappy as they fought against mental and physical health problems, negative perceptions of their own character, seeking meaning in life, financial security and the quality of their relationships.
Using a Harvard metric – a combination of happiness and satisfaction with life, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and nearby social relationships – the researchers determined how each participant was “flourishing” in their lives.
Now they have found that the flowering curve remains flat until around the age of 50, when it begins to rise again.
Researchers found that this applies to several countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia-but the difference in welfare between younger and older adults was larger in the US.
“It’s a very dark picture,” said Tyler J. Vanderweele, lead author of the study and director of Harvard’s Human Flowering Program, New York Times. “Are we investing enough in the well-being of young people?”
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Why is generation Z so unhappy?
Recent research shows that life satisfaction and happiness have constantly diminished among young adults in the last decade. In the US, Youth Risk Behavior Research (YRBSS) reported a drastic increase in anxiety and depression among generation Z Americans, especially young women.
In 2023, 53% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness compared to 28% of boys.
“Young people are not doing so well as before,” wrote the authors of Global Flourishing. “Although the causes are probably diverse, concerns about mental health among young adults are clearly increasing.”
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Harvard’s 2023 national survey also found that young adults (18 to 25 years) suffered from higher anxiety and depression rates than younger adolescents.
The study concluded that the following factors were boosting the decline in the mental health of generation Z:
– Lack of meaning and direction: The survey found that more than half (58%) of young adults reported that they had no “meaning or purpose” in their lives in the previous month, with half also reporting that their mental health was negatively influenced by “not knowing what to do of life.”
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– Financial concerns: 56% of young adults were concerned about their financial well-being.
– Pressure to “get there”: Half of the young adults expressed that the pressure for accomplishments were negatively influencing their mental health.
– Feeling that the world is crumbling: 45% of young adults reported that a “general feeling that things are crumbling” caused the decline of their mental health.
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– Loneliness and social isolation: Almost half (44%) of young adults reported the feeling of not being important to others, while 34% reported being lonely.
– Social and political issues: Generalized questions such as climate change, armed violence in schools, and concerns about political leadership were among the topics that weighed on generation Z.
This article was originally published on Fortune.com
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