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The middle-aged are no longer the most miserable
Youth used to be cheerful. No more.
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Gen X and millennials have slid into midlife malaise earlier than boomers did though, and Gen Z are starting their adult life far more miserable than any generation before.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
The Economist
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For decades, surveys have suggested that middle age is the low point of life. While young and old generally reported high levels of life satisfaction, those in midlife endured a slump. This “U-bend of happiness” or “hump of despair”, depending on perspective, has been documented hundreds of times across many countries. The age of peak misery varied – the Swiss were saddest at 35, Ukrainians in their 60s – but the pattern was consistent.
Recently, however, the curve seems to have become warped. A study published on Aug 27 in Plos One by economists David Blanchflower, Alex Bryson and Xiaowei Xu finds that young people across the world are now reporting the highest levels of misery of any age group. “We’ve seen a change from a hump shape to a ski slope,” says Dr Bryson.
