It was previously observed that young people experience maximum happiness in their youth, after which satisfaction levels decline in middle age and rise again in old age. However, under current conditions, this trend has changed: members of the younger generation are losing their sense of joy significantly earlier and are unable to regain it for an extended period.
The study emphasizes that young people aged 18 to 29 more frequently report high levels of anxiety, depression, financial difficulties, and a loss of meaning in life. Many of them feel loneliness, uselessness, and uncertainty about the future.
“The situation looks quite depressing. Are we paying enough attention to the well-being of young people?” comments one of the study's authors, Tyler Vanderwill, director of the Human Development program at Harvard.
Scientists link the growing anxiety among Generation Z to societal pressure, uncertainty, political conflicts, and a constant stream of negative information.
More than 50% of survey participants reported a lack of purpose in their lives, and nearly the same number expressed concern about their financial situation. Researchers suggest that if current trends continue, it will be necessary to reassess the traditional notion of the "age of happiness."
