Nearing 40 and Ill say it doesn’t get better.

In the latest World Happiness Report, the U.S. has fallen to 24th place worldwide, its lowest ranking since the study began. The sharpest drop is among young Americans under 30, whose reported life satisfaction has fallen so steeply that, if measured on their own, the U.S. would not even place in the top 60.

WOOF.

How Can This Trend Be Reversed?

• Rebuilding Social Connections: Encourage community programs, shared spaces, and events that bring people together. Even small actions like group dining or community volunteering can foster connection.
• Prioritizing Mental Health: Increase access to affordable therapy, counseling, and preventive care for young adults.
• Economic Reforms: Addressing housing affordability, reducing student debt, and creating stable career opportunities can ease financial stress and restore hope.
• Regulating Digital Spaces: Making social media safer and less toxic could reduce the mental health toll on young users.

Come on, let’s be honest here, it’s economic reforms. Everything else follows. I’m not inviting my friends over to watch me microwave a sad, leftover bowl of mac and cheese. I’m sure as hell not paying to eat out. Mental health should be more of a priority, but I can’t help but feel it would overall be less of an issue if there was more stability for any of us. And that spills over into digital spaces. It’s a megaphone only, trying to regulate the digital spaces is treating symptoms, not causes. All of it is.

Economic reform NOW! As a Millennial who’s started to see the decades slip by, every day counts and sets a weaker ground for building the future.