Scientists named the unhappiest generation of people

A large-scale study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that Generation Z (under 25) has become the unhappiest, breaking the U-shaped happiness curve. 48% of respondents in this age group have negative mental health indicators, and among girls, it is 53%. Scientists link the crisis to socio-economic pressure, the consequences of the pandemic, and the influence of social media.

A new large-scale study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE has shown that Generation Z (people under 25) has become the unhappiest, breaking the long-standing concept of the U-shaped happiness curve. The analysis of data collected in 44 countries worldwide from 2020 to 2025 covered more than 1.7 million respondents. According to the results, 48% of respondents under 25 received negative scores on the mental health coefficient, placing them in the clinical risk category. Among girls and young women, this figure reaches 53%, and among young men, 41%. More than 13% of zoomers are in a state of severe psychological distress, which is many times higher than the average for other age groups. The authors of the study emphasize that the alarming picture is due to a rapid deterioration in the mental health of young people, not an improvement in the well-being of middle-aged people. Key factors of the crisis include socio-economic pressure, difficulty integrating into the labor market, long-term consequences of the pandemic and isolation, and the destructive influence of digital technologies and social media. The article is of a review nature and references data from the publication TN.