Happiness has long been believed, but follows the curve. It is high when young, soaks in middle age, and rises again as you get older.
Scratch it – it may not be true anymore.
A new research paper based on findings from six English-speaking countries suggests that young adults are far less happy than their previous generations.
A study by the United Nations Committee, published by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), reveals consistent declines in life satisfaction and happiness among young adults over the past decade. Co-authored by Jean Twengé, a psychologist at San Diego State University and David G. Branchflower, an economist at Dartmouth University, the study examined data collected from 11 studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
However, studies from other parts of the world seem to suggest that these results apply widely to that as well.
The conclusions of the study by Blanchflower and Twenge overturn the longstanding belief that happiness follows a U-shaped curve.
How important is this shift? And what promotes misfortune among young people?
What did the research find?
Researchers say the decline in misfortune is particularly evident in young adults and adolescents aged 12-25, many of whom face depression and psychological distress at a much higher rate than those a few years older.
Meanwhile, older people still have increased life satisfaction with their age.
The shocking change raised concerns that the younger generation faces unprecedented challenges in an unprecedented world, particularly due to the rise of digital technology and economic uncertainty.
What is behind this generation’s recession?
Research finds that there is a clear correlation between lower happiness and increased internet use in the age of smartphones and social media. That’s what researchers say is the main point of difference between today’s younger generations and those before them.
The Internet is a “main candidate” for responsibility, Branchflower told Al Jazeera. “There’s nothing else that fits the facts.”
In 2024, a Pew survey found that three in four American teenagers felt happy or peaceful when they didn’t have a smartphone. The researchers behind the 2024 study show that British teenagers and Pleton were the happiest in Europe. He also concluded that social media is a key reason.
Blanchflower’s claims appear to be backed up by research from other countries around the world, including the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
BlanchFlower, who worked on a similar study that looked into African countries, said that, published by NBER in December 2024, approximately half of the population of the huge continent has never used the internet.
“The lack of internet may help explain why the mental health of young Africans is declining compared to other places,” the study said. “But as smartphone sales explode, there is a danger on the horizon.”
The research paper assesses studies in dozens of African countries, all showing U-shaped happiness curves, suggesting a correlation between low internet access and high happiness levels among young people.
“It’s clearly a global trend for people who are mostly connected to the internet,” says Blanchflower.
According to BlanchFlower, there is also evidence that the happiness level of middle-aged people using smartphones is lower than their previous generation predecessors of their contemporary, non-smartphone or the Internet.
What else is driving decline?
However, the internet and smartphones may not be the only drivers behind the decline in happiness of young people.
This study suggests that economic difficulties and loneliness may also be contributing factors.
“There could be many cultural forces at work that have negatively influenced life satisfaction and social views, including reduced face-to-face social interactions, increased social use, and increased income inequality,” the study states.
The 2024 World Happiness Report showed that young people under the age of 30 worldwide have witnessed a dramatic decline in happiness since the Covid-19 pandemic. The collapse of happiness has been particularly sharp in the US, falling for the first time from the index’s 20 happiest countries since the report was published in 2012.
The authors of this study state that more research is needed to understand why young people seem increasingly unhappy to help policy makers devise specific procedures to reverse this change.
However, Blanchflower is doubtful about its prospects to reverse this trend.
“The concern is that the decline in happiness among young people continues,” Branchflower said. “It’s spread all over the world.”
He urged people to “run away from their phones” and interact with others.
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