There is some amazing new research I came across that would mostly interest middle aged Hivers or uncs here. As I move closer to unc status myself, happiness has started to intrigue me more. Should one become happy as things happen, or should one actively find things to do in order to feel happy.
There is a happiness graph, maybe you have seen it before. It is often shown as a smiley face curve across a human life.
People are usually very happy when they are young, maybe the happiest they will ever be. The reasons could be a lack of responsibility. Even if you feel unhappy at times, there are usually people around to cheer you on, friends, family, loved ones.
As a person enters middle life, around the time they get a job, take on responsibilities, have kids, and pay bills, life becomes much harder. This phase is often described as the most miserable. You may still feel happy sometimes, but there is no time to sit with that happiness or enjoy it fully. At this age, people also start witnessing real tragedies, like the deaths of those close to them.
Interestingly, older people tend to become happier again. This is not based on a single study but on multiple theories across different ethnicities and regions of the world. Because of this consistency, the happiness curve has long been considered reliable.
However, newer research suggests something very different. The curve appears to be flattening.
People in the middle are no longer the most miserable, especially starting around 2019. According to data highlighted by The Economist, the curve seems to be broken. The most miserable group now appears to be the young, and the curve sinks even deeper in old age. Yet at the same time, there is evidence that overall happiness levels are flattening across age groups.
This shift may be happening because of increased social connections combined with a deep fear among younger generations. Many feel they do not have a future in a world they do not understand, guided by people who also seem unsure.
In simple terms, everyone seems miserable except the very old.
This data does not come from just one country. It spans 44 nations, including parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The research also suggests there is little to no strong correlation with smartphones or social media. Instead, the major factor seems to be economic fragility. Even people who have jobs feel far less stable than they did before.
P.S: Images are AI generated.
