We’ve Overcome Middle-Age Unhappiness

Research indicates a significant dissatisfaction during middle age, yet a previous phenomenon of “unhappy humps” in youth and later life seems to have faded.

This suggests that the issue is not an inherent unhappiness linked to middle age, but rather a decline in youthful happiness, a pattern supported by Alex Bryson from University College London.

“We are witnessing a surge in stress levels among individuals under 40, where the younger the demographic, the more pronounced the increase,” he remarks. “This indicates an upward trend in suffering among the younger population.”

Earlier studies spanning 145 countries reveal that individuals aged 30 and above, particularly around the age of 50, experience peak unhappiness. This trend appears to resonate with findings on Orangutans and chimpanzees.

However, Bryson and his team noticed the disappearance of the unhappy hump based on an analysis of the US National Mental Health Survey, which observed over 10 million adults from 1993 to 2024, including 40,000 households from 2009 to 2023.

To verify if this trend is global, researchers utilized data from Global Minds, a mental health study with about 2 million participants across 44 countries, including the US and UK. Findings showed that in all countries analyzed, unhappiness decreases with age, with “unhappy humps” being replaced by a gradual decline.

So, do people in middle age report higher happiness levels today? “Not necessarily,” Bryson states. “Middle-aged individuals appear to remain in a stagnant state; any shifts in happiness are primarily observed in the younger demographic.”

These emerging trends are particularly pronounced in affluent English-speaking nations such as the UK and the US, while being less noticeable in regions of Africa with limited internet access. In Tanzania, for instance, only 32% of young internet users in 2022 reported significant happiness compared to their offline counterparts. Bryson noted that further investigation could shed light on these observations.

The decline in young people’s well-being may stem from several factors, notably the adverse impact of social media, along with the isolation and challenges in accessing mental health care exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Bryson.