American Happiness Reaches Five-decade Low

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

University of Chicago annual report on American happiness:

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the public’s happiness is at a five-decade low despite most Americans being satisfied with their financial situation, according to a new survey from NORC at the University of Chicago.

The study highlights how Americans’ outlook and emotional health compare to nearly 50 years of trends in public opinion data from the General Social Survey (GSS), an ongoing project which NORC has conducted since 1972. The historical context reveals unique impacts of the outbreak on public sentiment: An all-time low in people saying they are very happy (14%), combined with an all-time high in people saying they are satisfied with their family’s financial situation (80%).

These contrasting findings suggest that people are comparing their happiness to their own psychological well-being before the pandemic while assessing their finances in relation to the millions of fellow Americans who have lost jobs, wages, or investments following the outbreak.

The results also illustrate how Americans are reacting differently to the coronavirus pandemic compared to previous national tragedies. For example, fewer Americans report crying or feeling dazed than after either the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963, or the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001—but more report having lost their temper or feeling bored during the pandemic.

[52-80 19066]

no surprise

people are fucking psychotic and neurotic

everything is a conspiracy or offensive etc etc

[Guest Lobo]

O/U on this getting moved to CR before 5:00p today?  

[Celery Man 20874]

also 900,000 people have died in a pandemic we haven't been able to unite around over 2 full fucking years. And yes of course this is a cloak conversation because the attacks on our government, the beating of an America divided into two realities that have almost no overlap, the devolution of political discourse even among our elected officials, the attacks on our schools (purposefully leaving that vague enough to be relevant for people who are flipping out in either reality), etc etc

Edited February 2, 2022 by Celery Man

[NAVY 6738]

4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

O/U on this getting moved to CR before 5:00p today?  

Sí

[StruggleBus 3922]

I’m happy. Y’all can go fuck yourselves 

[Captainant 27310]

11 minutes ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

despite most Americans being satisfied with their financial situation

Would definitely like to see the polling group demographics in this lol.

[DaggerHorns 3057]

Thank you social media!

…and any other form of media.

[4th&Five 41457]

Nah

Edited February 2, 2022 by 4th&Five

[gyroprotagonist 2591]

probably need more parks and fire stations.  at least that always worked in sim city.

[Hate 20102]

It’s because people either post in the Cloakroom or watch cable TV news.

[atomheartbevo 89362]

18 minutes ago, DaggerHorns said:

Thank you social media!

…and any other form of media.

1234.   We have cable news stations on 24/7 telling us why we shouldn’t be happy, and we’ve got social media doing the same, plus social media showing people how much better other people have it than they do.

It’s interesting to compare the glimpses that people had into the lives of the rich and famous 50 years ago, where you’d see photos in a magazine or occasionally catch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (okay that was more like 40 years ago) and you got just brief peeks Into that world, versus now where you see a shitload of wealthy folks (social media influencers, celebrities, etc.) putting their lives on display practically 24/7 through social media, or shows like Keeping up with the Kardassians.  For way too many of those that follow that shit, on some level there’s got to be some kind mix of living vicariously through those deep dives into those peoples’ lives, but it’s also offset by them realizing they will never reach that kind of lifestyle and comfort.  

Edited February 2, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[BabaYaga 15202]

8 minutes ago, Hate said:

It’s because people either post in the Cloakroom or watch cable TV news.

We have a winner

Go to the winter weather thread.  JFC, we are looking at in N.Texas ONE fucking day or snow/ice and everyone is losing their shit.  

People are freebasing fear-porn right into every available vein on a daily basis and it shows.  

[BabaYaga 15202]

13 minutes ago, gyroprotagonist said:

probably need more parks and fire stations.  at least that always worked in sim city.

I prefer SIN City

 

 

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Would definitely like to see the polling group demographics in this lol.

I glanced but did not see any demographic information of much detail. Survey were done in English and Spanish, but I did not see a bunch of detail on age, HHI, or other demographics.

[Trey3216 15325]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

also 900,000 people have died in a pandemic we haven't been able to unite around over 2 full fucking years. And yes of course this is a cloak conversation because the attacks on our government, the beating of an America divided into two realities that have almost no overlap, the devolution of political discourse even among our elected officials, the attacks on our schools (purposefully leaving that vague enough to be relevant for people who are flipping out in either reality), etc etc

Nice.   

[BabaYaga 15202]

Just now, Trey3216 said:

Nice.   

We call that "Talking Points BINGO"

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

We have a winner
Go to the winter weather thread.  JFC, we are looking at in N.Texas ONE fucking day or snow/ice and everyone is losing their shit.  
People are freebasing fear-porn right into every available vein on a daily basis and it shows.  

How do you freebase into a vein?

[Trey3216 15325]

Just now, BabaYaga said:

We call that "Talking Points BINGO"

Yep, and predictive text.  Not to mention only 1 post after Lobo’s prediction.  

[Immaculate Vibes 114]

Social media and iPhones. That’s 90% of it. 
 

People are distracted by their phones, aren’t taking in and enjoying life in front of them.
 

Social media on their phones either gets them upset or has them thinking they’re missing out because some thots posted pics from their Cabo trip or whatever.
 

Then you throw in the outrage thrown at you constantly to upset you and keep your attention and you get a distracted, angry, envious population. If you’re those three things how can you be present in day to day life and happy?

[BabaYaga 15202]

2 minutes ago, Immaculate Vibes said:

Social media and iPhones. That’s 90% of it.

It's a medium of minimal to zero consequences.  Allowing people to talk shit and say things they'd NEVER say face to face.  

[BabaYaga 15202]

7 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

How do you freebase into a vein?

Is that why my dreams of being a drugged out street walker failed?  FUCK!

[Doc Reeves 6434]

Money, power, sex, big house, trips, fancy watch, slick customized cars, drugs that shit is all just fun and one of the most tucked up thing about being a human is that having fun won’t make you happy.

for instance, go buy a new Ferrari spider and drive that shit with the top down along the coast after your kid dies, see if it works. 

humans have actually been really worried about this proble for about 12k years and I think Americans pursue what they think/told will make them happy rather than what actually will

Edited February 2, 2022 by Doc Reeves

[Brisketexan 104464]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

1234.   We have cable news stations on 24/7 telling us why we shouldn’t be happy, and we’ve got social media doing the same, plus social media showing people how much better other people have it than they do.

It’s interesting to compare the glimpses that people had into the lives of the rich and famous 50 years ago, where you’d see photos in a magazine or occasionally catch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (okay that was more like 40 years ago) and you got just brief peaks Into that world, versus now where you see a shitload of wealthy folks (social media influencers, celebrities, etc.) putting their lives on display practically 24/7 through social media, or shows like Keeping up with the Kardassians.  For way too many of those that follow that shit, on some level there’s got to be some kind mix of living vicariously through those deep dives into those peoples’ lives, but it’s also offset by them realizing they will never reach that kind of lifestyle and comfort.  

Excellent post.  When we are fed and consume an avalanche of 1) fear porn and 2) images and stories of an idealized life that 99.9999% of people on earth can never achieve, we feel despair.

Yes, we can go CR and point to a particular political bent that lives on fear porn, but it's not exclusive to that angle.  And the sheer volume of it, from any direction, is what has changed.  40 years ago, people got news in functionally "digest" form -- a single evening newscast, and maybe their local newspaper.  That's it.  And it wasn't overly alarmist, it wasn't clickbait bullshit, and it sure wasn't flat-out lies and misinformation meant to cause anger/panic.  Now, it's an avalanche if you consume information on ANY device -- tv, phone, computer, talk radio, all of it.  And it's all clickbait bullshit.

Then, our model of "happiness and success" is all fucked up.  We have reached peak vacuous consumption as a model of success.  Yes, there were always the vacuous rich drinking $500 bottles of champagne and driving Bentleys and shit, but we didn't see them, and didn't idolize them.  Our entertainment models -- mostly TV shows -- were usually about regular people/regular families.  Hell, even the well-to-do families in such shows were often from humble backgrounds, or stuff like that.  The "light cigars with $100 bills" model did exist -- in a few flashy night time soaps like Dallas.  I will suggest a glimmer of hope, though -- my kids and their peers don't really buy into or consume much of that.  They know it's bullshit. They know that "influencers" are fake.  They don't idolize gratuitous consumption.  They have a much better grasp on the truth that happiness comes from experiences and people, not stuff.  Sure, that's not everyone, and there's always been a strain of consumer greed in our society, but I hypothesize that we're seeing its worst at its peak right now.

[RPM 26185]

With all the crap they are fed by a certain cable network I'm not surprised. Everything is something bad. The world is doomed. So and so is out to get you. Hell, I got depressed just writing this.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

 

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

I also think it is impacted by both the decline of religion in the U.S. as well as for many its being replaced by politics, and some approach politics and culture war crap with the fundamentalist fervor frequently found among some religious groups. The tone of conversations have shifted from a discussion of policy differences to some type of mythological struggle between good and evil, life and death, light and dark where every question or disagreement is an existential threat. 

[Neonmoon 38127]

As other have already pointed out, Social Media is the number #1 reason. 

It's the downfall of society

[Immaculate Vibes 114]

6 minutes ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

I also think it is impacted by both the decline of religion in the U.S. as well as for many its being replaced by politics, and some approach politics and culture war crap with the fundamentalist fervor frequently found among some religious groups. The tone of conversations have shifted from a discussion of policy differences to some type of mythological struggle between good and evil, life and death, light and dark where every question or disagreement is an existential threat. 

This is part too. Politics as a religion promises you nothing. Maybe just misery. A religion itself like Christianity promises eternal salvation.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Immaculate Vibes

[Doc Reeves 6434]

The US is built on constant want. That’s not really great for internal balance and peace. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Must resist urge not to address religion…must resist.

[Brisketexan 104464]

7 minutes ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

I also think it is impacted by both the decline of religion in the U.S. as well as for many its being replaced by politics, and some approach politics and culture war crap with the fundamentalist fervor frequently found among some religious groups. The tone of conversations have shifted from a discussion of policy differences to some type of mythological struggle between good and evil, life and death, light and dark where every question or disagreement is an existential threat. 

There's a whole "chicken-and-egg" discussion to be had there on the decline of religious life, and how that relates to our happiness and social fabric.

I'd argue that "religion" is just being treated as all other "institutions" are being treated these days -- with disdain and contempt.  Try to think of a single "institution" that has a positive reputation in society today.  Churches?  Nope.  Universities?  Nope.  Your local schools?  Nope.  Your government -- from the most local level all the way up?  Nope.  The courts?  Nope.  And shit, we just don't have much else in the way of institutions.  We don't even have bowling leagues and the Elks Club and all that shit.

YET....as a species, we innately want those things.  We are a social animal.  We band together.  If you take away our institutions, then we'll just find something else to band together around, and it may not be anything good.  It may not be constrained by years/centuries of thought and tradition and teaching.  But our hunger for something to gather around is so strong that we'll look past all of those flaws, just so we can engage in a fulfilling communal experience   Whether it's attending a Trump rally, or a BLM march, or joining a gang, or any other "tribal" outlet, we are drawn to that experience.  And the places where we once might have done so in a benign way are dwindling and under perpetual assault -- both from without and within (e.g., as I've said before, the most destructive force to American Christianity is American Christians).

I'm still in the middle of reading The Fourth Turning, but so far, it's speaking to all of these things.  As a society, that means we're in a really unpleasant place.

[deadshank 24651]

I'm a happy dude.  I don't watch any sort of "news" put forth by CNN, Fox, MSNBC  and the like.  I will watch if there is an actual event and then turn it off when the commentators and "experts" start weighing in with rushed "gotta-be-first" opinions.

I look at IG for fun stuff, avoid Twitter and the twats that tweet.  Surly is always taken with a grain of salt even though most of you are magnificent bastards and many have world views that differ from mine; but, that is what makes it interesting.

I have two great mutts, a wife that leaves me off the leash and a deer camp I can go to and get away from the world and enjoy relaxed down time.

Never will I be a multi-millionaire and, while that's nice and what not, it would not make me happy and would only gain me access to things that are fleeting.

Life is too short to get caught up in the BS.

Edited February 2, 2022 by deadshank

[Doc Reeves 6434]

2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Must resist urge not to address religion…must resist.

Man, you shouldn’t. Spirituality is a huge part of peoples happiness, and while it would be best to put the debate of Gods existence on mute, the fact that our faiths have been weaponized in our all our politicians grab for power is fucking depressing.  

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

10 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

As other have already pointed out, Social Media is the number #1 reason. 

It's the downfall of society

It could be a 1000-page conversation, but I wonder if social media is the cause or a symptom. I certainly do not have an answer just posing the question. I wonder if deeper factors catalyze the effects of social media, and it simply exposes and exacerbates the "root causes." An analogy might be the effect violent video games or music have on violence: is a violent video game going to turn a non-violent person violent or just stoke an already internally violent person to act violently. Again, don't have any answers just asking questions. Of course without question social media enables everyone to feed those particular addictions (anger, jealousy, lust, envy, etc.).

[BabaYaga 15202]

3 minutes ago, deadshank said:

I'm a happy dude.  I don't watch any sort of "news" put forth by CNN, Fox, MSNBC  and the like.  I will watch if there is an actual event and then turn it off when the commentators and "experts" start weighing in with rushed "gotta-be-first" opinions.

I look at IG for fun stuff, avoid Twitter and the twats that tweet.  Surly is always taken with a grain of salt even though most of you are magnificent bastards and many have world views that differ from mine; but, that is what makes it interesting.

I have two great mutts, a wife that leaves me off the leash and a deer camp I can go to and get away from the world and enjoy relaxed down time.

Never will I be a multi-millionaire and, while that's nice and what not, it would not make me happy and would only gain me access to things that are fleeting.

Life is too short to get caught up in the BS.

Perspective is a beautiful thing!

[Immaculate Vibes 114]

1 minute ago, Doc Reeves said:

Man, you shouldn’t. Spirituality is a huge part of peoples happiness, and while it would be best to put the debate of Gods existence on mute, the fact that our faiths have been weaponized in our all our politicians grab for power is fucking depressing.  

Agreed. Whether you believe or not, a large portion of the population having faith in something bigger after life here gives them more purpose. I guarantee it gives them more happiness.  

[Hpara759 1777]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

also 900,000 people have died in a pandemic we haven't been able to unite around over 2 full fucking years. And yes of course this is a cloak conversation because the attacks on our government, the beating of an America divided into two realities that have almost no overlap, the devolution of political discourse even among our elected officials, the attacks on our schools (purposefully leaving that vague enough to be relevant for people who are flipping out in either reality), etc etc

 

[BabaYaga 15202]

Just now, Harrison Bergeron said:

It could be a 1000-page conversation, but I wonder if social media is the cause or a symptom. I certainly do not have an answer just posing the question. I wonder if deeper factors catalyze the effects of social media, and it simply exposes and exacerbates the "root causes." An analogy might be the effect violent video games or music have on violence: is a violent video game going to turn a non-violent person violent or just stoke an already internally violent person to act violently. Again, don't have any answers just asking questions. Of course without question social media enables everyone to feed those particular addictions (anger, jealousy, lust, envy, etc.).

Social media is the equivalent of fast food and processed sugar.  It's wired to hit receptors in the brain that operated for tens of thousands of years on scarcity.  Now they are overloaded and overwhelmed.  The VAST majority of issues today are maladies of abundance & surplus.  Obesity.  Diabetes.  Hypertension.  Addictions.  We are just looking at the mental aspects, which is the other side of the same coin.  

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

Just now, Immaculate Vibes said:

Agreed. Whether you believe or not, a large portion of the population having faith in something bigger after life here gives them more purpose. I guarantee it gives them more happiness.  

And research has bourn this out: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/31/are-religious-people-happier-healthier-our-new-global-study-explores-this-question/

I think it is fair to say (the prosperity preachers notwithstanding) is that virtually every religion has contentment and a focus on the eternal as key components, and those naturally should impact happiness.

[BabaYaga 15202]

2 minutes ago, Immaculate Vibes said:

Agreed. Whether you believe or not, a large portion of the population having faith in something bigger after life here gives them more purpose. I guarantee it gives them more happiness.  

It also connects people.  Both of the spiritual and physical level.  People GO to church.  They leave their houses.  They turn off their phones and they engage with others. 

 

[52-80 19066]

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

There's a whole "chicken-and-egg" discussion to be had there on the decline of religious life, and how that relates to our happiness and social fabric.

I'd argue that "religion" is just being treated as all other "institutions" are being treated these days -- with disdain and contempt.  Try to think of a single "institution" that has a positive reputation in society today.  Churches?  Nope.  Universities?  Nope.  Your local schools?  Nope.  Your government -- from the most local level all the way up?  Nope.  The courts?  Nope.  And shit, we just don't have much else in the way of institutions.  We don't even have bowling leagues and the Elks Club and all that shit.

YET....as a species, we innately want those things.  We are a social animal.  We band together.  If you take away our institutions, then we'll just find something else to band together around, and it may not be anything good.  It may not be constrained by years/centuries of thought and tradition and teaching.  But our hunger for something to gather around is so strong that we'll look past all of those flaws, just so we can engage in a fulfilling communal experience   Whether it's attending a Trump rally, or a BLM march, or joining a gang, or any other "tribal" outlet, we are drawn to that experience.  And the places where we once might have done so in a benign way are dwindling and under perpetual assault -- both from without and within (e.g., as I've said before, the most destructive force to American Christianity is American Christians).

I'm still in the middle of reading The Fourth Turning, but so far, it's speaking to all of these things.  As a society, that means we're in a really unpleasant place.

I've said this over and over again, I think you are a good person.  But you might also be the best example of unintentional/nonmalicious Gloom Merchant on the board.

Which is weird because I agree with your implication that humans are generally good, social animals just seeking some community.  (All are flawed and some are even ill-intentioned but on balance that's just how humans have always been and will be.)

[BabaYaga 15202]

If you're ever feeling sorry for yourself, pick up Viktor Frankl and read.  

Quote

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.”

"Only when the emotions work in terms of values can the individual feel pure joy"

“Let us ask a mountain-climber who has beheld the alpine sunset and is so moved by the splendor of nature that he feels cold shudders running down his spine – let us ask him whether after such an experience his life can ever again seem wholly meaningless” 

Viktor Frankl 

 

[davidg 4025]

\

[Brisketexan 104464]

4 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

I've said this over and over again, I think you are a good person.  But you might also be the best example of unintentional/nonmalicious Gloom Merchant on the board.

Which is weird because I agree with your implication that humans are generally good, social animals just seeking some community.  (All are flawed and some are even ill-intentioned but on balance that's just how humans have always been and will be.)

Oh, I'm absolutely a gloom merchant, and it is entirely intentional.  I desperately wish that people would realize the perilous path we're on that makes the results of the survey we're talking about here inevitable.  Again, consistent with the analysis in The Fourth Turning, we are not in a good place.  We suffer from toxic individualism and almost blind anti-institutionalism.  And the side effects of those are well known: misery, despair, xenophobia, cruelty, all that shit.  Which then makes all of the bad shit a self-fulfilling prophecy (e.g., churches and organized religion are shitty institutions.....so we end up even FURTHER corrupting those institutions and using them as tools of control and cruelty at a heightened level).

We need to back up from the brink, not charge headlong towards it yelling "nobody can tell me what to do!  FREEDOM!".......but all we are doing is pushing the accelerator even harder.  It's really frustrating to watch.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Man, you shouldn’t. Spirituality is a huge part of peoples happiness, and while it would be best to put the debate of Gods existence on mute, the fact that our faiths have been weaponized in our all our politicians grab for power is fucking depressing.  

What should we do when religion infringes on the pursuit of happiness of others?

[BabaYaga 15202]

1 minute ago, Patricio Swayze said:

What should we do when religion infringes on the pursuit of happiness of others?

Create your own religion.  I hear that was all the rage back in the day

[huge 3788]

Should I feel bad (worse) that I am almost always happy as a clam?  I don't want others to suffer a second but man I don't want everyone else bringing me down either!

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Create your own religion.  I hear that was all the rage back in the day

That isn’t what I mean, and you likely know that.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

3 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

What should we do when religion infringes on the pursuit of happiness of others?

Kill everyone until the happy people are left, duh.