Recent research has revealed that Generation Z, individuals aged 18 to 24, are the most unhappy in the United States and in 45 other countries around the world.
Scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom found that the mental health of Generation Z has been deteriorating since 2014 and has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the study published in the journal Pulse One, researchers found no direct, precise reason for the decline in happiness among this group. However, they noted an increase in the number of school dropouts and those experiencing learning difficulties, in addition to a large number of young people dropping out of the labor market due to psychological problems.
The study also revealed that young women face worse psychological problems than young men, with unhappiness rates among women in the United States rising from 5.6% in 2009 to 9.3% in 2024.
Previous studies have indicated that happiness declines in midlife, typically in the forties, and then rises again in old age.
Researchers consider despair to be a severe form of mental health deterioration in which an individual experiences significant psychological stress, depression, or emotional exhaustion for a prolonged period.
Between 1993 and 2014, 3.7 percent of Americans reported feeling hopeless, but that percentage rose to 6.7 percent by 2024. For those under 25, the percentage increased from 2.9 percent to 8 percent.
The study, published in the journal Pulse One, relied on data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a telephone survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1993 and 2024.
The researchers explained that the study was based on individuals' self-reported assessments of their mental health.
In a study that included 44 other countries, researchers from Dartmouth University in London found that 48 percent of Generation Z members were at risk of mental health problems.
13 percent of young people under 25 described themselves as troubled, compared to only 5.6 percent of the rest of the participants.
Another study revealed that adults between the ages of 45 and 70 were happier than all other age groups.
Happiness researcher Martin Hendrix attributed the poor mental health of Generation Z to the excessive amount of time they spend in front of screens.
He revealed that Generation Z has spent more time in front of screens since childhood than previous generations.
He explained that this fundamental difference from previous generations has led young people to over-compare themselves to others online, leading to negative perceptions about their lives.
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