The Sad State of Happiness in the United States and the Role of Digital Media

I have been researching the topic of happiness since 2014… When I suddenly started feeling a little “less” happy than one should… what is the right amount of happiness? What is happiness? How do we quantify it and qualify it?

This study by Dr. Jean Twenge is profound, a friend sent it to me. The data is fascinating, you can now track the rise of low psychological well-being such as depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm increased sharply among adolescents since 2010, particularly among girls and young women. “Several credible explanations have been posited to explain the decline in happiness among adult Americans, including declines in social capital and social support” What does this mean? In simple English - we need human interaction and social connection. NOT online, on the screen, or in a like button; real social connection is imperative to our survival as human species. We need touch, hearing of real voices, and connectedness to stay sane and happy.