Young Americans are so unhappy that they are driving the country's average down

Happiness Report

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

Younger Americans and their unhappiness are the driving force behind the fall of the United States in the most recent World Happiness Report, which is an annual report that measures the quality of life and satisfaction of citizens in 140 countries.

Lowest ever

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The US placed 24th in the latest ranking, created with data from last year. It is the lowest position the country has held in the report, and follows a trend of several years of falling in the ranking.

The US score in 2023

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The US fell out of the top 20 for the first time in 2023, after more than five years dangling between 19th and 16th rankings. The United States ranked 11th in 2011, so the country has experienced a considerable shift.

Central focus: trust and benevolence

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The central focus of the last report was how doing or benefiting from benevolent acts increases happiness. It also looked into how trust in the kindness of others influences well-being.

Miserable young people

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

According to Fortune, people under 30 in the US are driving the country's low average, as confirmed by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of economics at the University of Oxford and editor of the report.

Loneliness and isolation

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The Executive Summary of the report laid out some of the reasons behind the sadness of young Americans: loneliness and isolation play a significant role in how they perceive and trust others.

Eating alone

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

For example, in 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day; this trend is especially prevalent among young people.

Strong bonds

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The latest survey also pointed out that strong family and social bonds play a crucial role in well-being. However, 19% of young adults worldwide said they had no one to count on.

Distrust in others

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

Loneliness and isolation can lead to underestimating the kindness of others, which in turn fuels unhappiness. The new report said that the perception of others' benevolence influences our well-being.

Photo: Pixabay

An experiment

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

It referred to an experiment with Stanford University students, who "became much happier when given demonstrations of the kindness of their peers," showing that this also plays a role.

Deaths of despair

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

Prosocial behaviors, like helping others, also reduce deaths of despair, caused by self-harm or addiction. The number of fatalities has decreased worldwide, except for the US and South Korea.

Lost wallets

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The latest report also observed a tendency to underestimate benevolence. Researchers asked survey respondents if they thought other people would help them by returning a lost wallet.

Expectations vs. Reality

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

Then, researchers dropped wallets in the street to compare. The number of returned wallets was much higher than expected by those surveyed, the executive summary said.

The less happy, the less trusting

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

The report said that well-being can improve when we receive solid information about the kindness of others. It can also reduce social distrust, which powers dissatisfaction.

Rise of populism

Happiness Report, Lowest ever, The US score in 2023, Central focus: trust and benevolence, Miserable young people, Loneliness and isolation, Eating alone, Strong bonds, Distrust in others, An experiment, Deaths of despair, Lost wallets, Expectations vs. Reality, The less happy, the less trusting, Rise of populism

According to the report, distrust and dissatisfaction can partly explain the rise in far-right and far-left populism and the political polarization of Western societies.

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