The happiness curve is collapsing. For decades, research showed the way people experienced happiness across their lifetimes looked like a U-shaped curve. Happiness tended to be high when they were young, then dipped in midlife, only to rise again as they grew old. But recent surveys suggest young adults aren’t as happy as they used to be, and that U-shaped curve is starting to flatten.
This pattern has shown up yet again in a new study, one of a collection of papers published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Mental Health. They are the first publications based on the inaugural wave of data from Global Flourishing Study, a collaboration Harvard and Baylor University.
The data, collected by Gallup primarily in 2023, was derived from self-reported surveys of over 2,00,000 people in over 20 countries. It found that, on average, young adults between ages 18 and 29 were struggling – not only with happiness, but also with physical and mental health, finding meaning in life, the quality of relationships and financial security. Participants had relatively low measures of flourishing on average until age 50. “It is a pretty stark picture,” said Tyler J VanderWeele, lead author of the study and director of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Programme. It raises an important question, he said: “Are we sufficiently investing in well-being of youth?”
A 2023 Harvard report found young adults in the US reported double the rates of anxiety and depression as teens. On top of that, perfectionism has skyrocketed among college students, who often report feeling pressure to meet unrealistic expectations. Participation in community organisations has declined, and loneliness is now becoming as prevalent among young adults as it is among older adults. “Study after study shows social connection is critical for happiness, and young people are spending less time with friends than they were a decade ago,” said a professor at Yale. “Plus, like folks of all ages, young people are facing a world with a whole host of global issues – from climate to the economy to political polarisation.” There are several theories as to why young people are in trouble, said a professor at Dartmouth College, but he suspects the problem is largely tied to what they aren’t doing because they’re busy looking at screens.
