The United States is currently facing challenges regarding the happiness of its residents. According to the World Happiness Report’s annual rankings, the U.S. has fallen to the 24th position, marking its lowest ranking in the report’s 13-year history. Previously, the U.S. had dropped out of the top 20 for the first time. The report analyzes how a representative sample of residents from over 140 countries rate their quality of life.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a professor of economics at the University of Oxford and leader of the Wellbeing Research Center, as well as an editor of the World Happiness Report, highlights that the decline in well-being in the U.S. is predominantly driven by individuals under the age of 30. The life satisfaction of young people in the United States has decreased. If assessments were restricted to those under 30, the U.S. would not even rank in the top 60 happiest countries. This contributes significantly to the U.S.’s drop last year from 15th to 23rd place, raising concerns among researchers.
The decline is further explained by greater inequality in the U.S. compared to the top-ranking Nordic countries, namely Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. In these countries, rising economic tides benefit all citizens more equally, reflecting positively on well-being. In Finland, for example, most people rate their happiness as seven or eight, whereas in the U.S., happiness ratings are more polarized, ranging widely from ones to tens.
This year, the report emphasized a nation’s social support systems and trust levels among people as crucial predictors of personal well-being. In 2023, nearly 20% of young adults in the U.S. reported having no one to rely on for support. Additionally, the number of people eating alone in the U.S. has increased by 53% since 2003, with shared meals identified in the report as positively correlating with well-being.
De Neve noted a significant rise in dining alone over the past two decades in the U.S., which exacerbates societal distrust and isolation. This isolation leads to untested political ideologies and societal theories, contributing to increased mistrust among people, including misconceptions about migrants.
The research included a unique method to gauge trust by questioning whether individuals believed a lost wallet would be returned to its owner. Compared to the Nordic countries, people in the U.S. were less likely to trust the kindness of strangers.
De Neve elaborated that trust in strangers to do what is morally right, such as returning a lost wallet or giving it to the police, reflects broader societal trust, which is more prevalent in Nordic countries.
For further insights on happiness, various research has been conducted:
– A study following over 700 individuals since 1938 sought to identify happiness keys.
– A recent report provides evidence that money cannot buy happiness for Americans.
– A class promising to teach happiness in just one week is also available.
This article was originally published on Fortune.com.
