For the first time in the World Happiness Report's dozen-year history, the U.S. did not rank in the top 20 of the world’s happiest countries. U.S. Falls Out of Top 20 Happiest Countries for the First Time Ever, Time (magazine), Solcyré Burga, March 19, 2024 Out of the more than 140 nations surveyed, the U.S. landed in 23rd place, compared to 15th place in 2023. While the U.S. is still in the top 10 happiest countries for those 60 years old and above, its overall ranking fell due to a significant decline in the reported well-being of Americans under 30. While there are many possible causes for this, I'd like to focus on the economic. Housing prices are very high making it difficult for many Americans to afford a house. A large part of this is due to severe housing shortages in many areas. While "happiness" is very subjective, I think it can be a good indicator of standards of living, which are a little more complicated than just absolute income levels. Studies also show that the unhappiness has grown in the younger generation more than it has in the older generation. Young people becoming less happy than older generations, research shows, Robert Booth, The Guardian, 19 March, 2024 Young people are becoming less happy than older generations as they suffer "the equivalent of a midlife crisis", global research has revealed as US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy warned that "young people are really struggling". After 12 years in which people aged 15 to 24 were measured as being happier than older generations in the US, the trend appears to have flipped in 2017. The gap has also narrowed in western Europe and the same change could happen in the coming year or two, it is thought. Murthy described the report findings as a "red flag that young people are really struggling in the US and now increasingly around the world". related thread: Half of young adults had anxiety and depression in 2023 (in Healthcare, Dec 3, 2023 )
It's hard to be happy about the future these days, rising rents, competition for jobs from immigrants, nothing like a secure future, wars again and we just keep losing wars like we've always done, but there's a silver lining - we're down at 47th now on life expectancy, so we won't have to put up with the misery for as long.
