Thread: Goodbye Mid-Life Crises? Sadly, The Law of Happiness Isn’t ‘U-Shaped’ Anymore

Something alarming is happening to young adults across English-speaking countries. Despite living in an age of technological advancement and increasing global prosperity, they’re becoming increasingly unhappy. Meanwhile, their parents and grandparents are maintaining or even improving their levels of happiness and life satisfaction.

This troubling trend emerges from comprehensive research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, where researchers Jean Twenge and David Blanchflower analyzed eleven different studies across six major English-speaking nations. What they discovered upends decades of established knowledge about happiness patterns throughout life.


The Disappearing U-Curve of Happiness


For years, researchers observed that happiness followed a predictable U-shaped curve – we start happy in youth, hit a low point in midlife (the so-called “midlife crisis”), then bounce back in our golden years. But according to this new research, that pattern has vanished. Instead, happiness now simply increases with age, with young adults reporting the lowest well-being levels and older adults the highest.

This pattern repeats consistently across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In each country, young adults report declining happiness and life satisfaction over the past decade – a trend that began well before COVID-19 appeared.


In the United States, the evidence is particularly striking. Data from the American National Election Studies shows that young Americans were once equally satisfied with life as older Americans, but by 2020, reported significantly lower satisfaction levels. Similarly, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System reveals that young adults’ life satisfaction plummeted between 2016-2018 and 2022-2024, while those 45 and older maintained relatively stable satisfaction levels.

The Mental Health Connection


These happiness trends mirror other worrying mental health patterns. Across all six countries, young people are experiencing heightened rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Australian data shows mental disorders among young people jumped by 40 percent for men and 60 percent for women between 2007-2010 and 2019-2022. In the UK, doctors wrote 25 percent more antidepressant prescriptions between 2015 and 2019.


Young women appear especially affected by these trends. In Australia, mental illness rates among females aged 16-24 leaped from 30 percent in 2007 to 46 percent in 2020-2022. Other countries show similar gender disparities in declining mental health.

Why Is This Happening?


The timing offers possible clues about causes. Many downward trends in youth happiness began around 2012-2013, coinciding with widespread smartphone adoption and social media mainstreaming. This has led researchers to question how modern communication methods might be affecting young people’s mental health.


Research shows face-to-face social interaction – vital for mental health – has declined more among young adults than older generations, possibly replaced by digital communication. Social media may also foster negative worldviews through constant exposure to idealized versions of others’ lives.

Other possible factors include widening income inequality (linked to lower psychological well-being) and major economic disruptions like the Great Recession, COVID-19, and post-pandemic inflation.
Finding Solutions


For parents, teachers, and policymakers, these findings highlight the importance of addressing unique challenges facing today’s young adults. Potential approaches include encouraging healthy technology use, creating opportunities for meaningful in-person connection, addressing economic inequalities, and expanding mental health resource access.

Ironically, the same technological shifts potentially contributing to youth unhappiness might offer solutions. Digital platforms can connect young people with mental health resources, foster supportive communities, and raise awareness about well-being. The challenge lies in using these tools to enhance rather than diminish happiness.


What’s clear is that declining happiness among young adults represents a serious public health concern demanding attention. The researchers note “broad based evidence of declines” in youth mental health across all six countries. The pressing question is how to reverse this trend and ensure future generations experience not just longer lives, but happier ones too.


The traditional happiness U-curve has disappeared. For young adults across English-speaking countries, life satisfaction now trends in a troubling direction – one we can’t afford to ignore.

ABOUT THIS STUDY Goodbye Mid-Life Crises? Sadly, The Law of Happiness Isn't 'U-Shaped' Anymore

How are these frail young people in English speaking countries going to cope with the real pressures people typically face in their middle age? What about other countries?

Does a mid wife crisis count? Just askin' for a friend

I've seen young people suggest hook up culture is partly or even largely to blame for this problem.

Originally Posted by misskit

The Law of Happiness Isn’t ‘U-Shaped’ Anymore

so we are back to an L

The unfortunate reality is that the more idiotic and disturbed posters in social media psychologically drag down people to their level.

The unhappy people in the report are young adults so they are not old yet so how does this demonstrate that the U shape trend (young-happy -> adult-unhappy -> old-happy) is broken?

It seems to be true, however, that social media and the smartphone has contributed to anxiety and mental ill health in young people. There are movements afoot to discourage under 18s from having social media accounts and maybe even smartphones.

I have not read the inimitable Joanathan Haidt's new book yet 'The Anxious Generation', but if it is half way as god as his previous efforts, including 'The Coddling of the American Mind', it will be a ripper.

I wonder with the availability of modern technology it comes down to some degree by knowing too much too soon. The gradual learning curve from general knowledge to relationships seem to be crammed in to a young mind too young and inexperienced in life to deal with it, whereas it was part of the experience of growing up into adult hood while gradually acquiring more mental maturity to cope with some of these complex questions.

I wonder what's happening to Thai kids. I hope they're doing better.