It’s long been thought that happiness has a pattern — individuals are typically happy when they’re young, experience a low point in midlife, and become happier with age. However new research indicates that this might no longer be the case for today’s young adults.
A new study released by the United States-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) indicates that young adults today are far less happy compared to past generations. The research, written jointly by Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychologist, and David G. Blanchflower, an economist at Dartmouth University, drew on data from 11 surveys in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
The results identify a precipitous decline in youth happiness levels, contradicting the widespread perception that happiness rises with age after midlife.
According to the research, levels of happiness have declined most dramatically among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25. Most are experiencing high rates of depression and emotional distress compared to those a few years their senior.
Notably, the trend also holds true for older people, who increasingly find greater life satisfaction as they age.
The trend has also created concerns that youth today are beset by challenges their elders never had to confront — such as the impact of social media, economic uncertainty, and the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blanchflower and Twenge think that the advent of smartphones and social media is a key reason for this happiness decline.
“The internet is the ‘main contender’ for blame,” Blanchflower told Al Jazeera. “Nothing else fits the facts.”
A 2024 Pew Research Survey validates this notion, where three in every four American teens reported feeling more happy when they were not on their smartphones. Another 2024 study identified British teens as the unhappiest in Europe, with social media cited as one of the main causes.
Blanchflower worked on the same study in Africa as well and found that kids who do not use the internet are likely to be more joyful. According to the study, the growth of the sales of smartphones could increase in the future in relation to reduced joy among youngsters in Africa.
“It is clearly a global trend, principally for those who are internet-connected,” Blanchflower said.
Surprisingly, middle-aged adults who own smartphones also said they were less happy than individuals of the same age in previous generations without access to the internet.
Though the internet is a major factor, other influences could be driving the decline in happiness.
The research identifies economic hardship and social loneliness as other factors driving the trend. Decreasing face-to-face contact, increasing income inequality, and increasing loneliness are all believed to be having an impact on the happiness levels of young people.
The 2024 World Happiness Report highlighted a sharp decline in happiness among people under 30 since the COVID-19 pandemic. The drop was especially severe in the US, which fell out of the index’s top 20 happiest countries for the first time since the report was introduced in 2012.
The researchers behind the study think more needs to be done to truly understand why young people are increasingly unhappy — and to assist policymakers in developing ways to reverse it.
Blanchflower does not sound convinced that the trend can easily be reversed, though.
“The concern is the decline in the wellbeing of the young continues,” he said. “It is spreading around the world.”
His advice to young people? “Get away from their phones” and spend more time with friends and family in person.
You might also be interested in – Why do we crave food? study finds swallowing releases ‘happy hormones’ that make us want more