Recently, I was reading the results of the 2024 World Happiness Report.  This is a well-regarded annual study of happiness by country.

It is based on statistical and survey analysis of several variables, including economic production per person; social support; healthy life expectancy; freedom to make life choices; and, perceptions of levels of corruption.

The United States finished 23rd in the ranking, dropping from 15th the prior year.  Millions of people are trying to get into our country, what they see as the “shining city upon the hill” as Ronald Reagan described America.  Yet those of us who live here are unhappier than 22 other countries. 

Why are we so unhappy?

Most notable in the report was the decline in happiness among young Americans, especially female. Normally, young and old people are the happiest and the lower scores come from the middle-aged. I have some ideas why our young are depressed.

It starts with our news cycles. Our young are bombarded with information about how we are killing our planet or gross injustices in economic opportunity, civil rights and respect for cultural diversity. They see a government so busy infighting that it is paralyzed to act. It is easy to be cynical.  

Their constant use of social media reinforces their negativity as search engine algorithms feed their fears without regard for the truth.  Instead of the social support that comes from community, young people are actually lonely despite the number of “friends” they have on Facebook. Worst, their self esteem can be shattered by cyberbullies.

But why are the rest of us so unhappy? You can’t sit in a restaurant or attend a social gathering without overhearing conversations about how our government is corrupt, or how a political party is destroying America, or the “pick your flavor of the month” culture war topic.

One theory is that “white anger” is driving some of our bitter and cynical social dialogue. The thinking is that white men are tired of being sensitive and politically correct (“Can’t they take a joke?”). They’re sick of coddling minorities with diversity and affirmative action policies.  They judge homosexual and transgender people as immoral yet feel powerless to exercise their judgment.

To this last point, someone recently texted me some life advice for such people. “If you’re opposed to gay marriage, you can simply say ‘no’ when a gay person proposes to you.”

There is another relevant report to this topic.  

For the first time ever, less than half of Americans are members of a church.  Many who are members never attend their church or participate in church activities. I have heard some of the faithful claim that our country has sunk into an abyss of immorality due to our collective rejection of faith. 

I see it a little differently.

Faith teaches us our life purpose. We exist to love God and love our neighbors. How do we do this?  We are here to serve others.  We are the Body of Christ.  It took me a long time to realize that the Joy of Life that our faith promises comes from serving others.  

Many of us think money can buy happiness, but in reality it can’t compete with a purpose of impacting others positively.

This premise of “life purpose” is actually anti-American. We glorify the individual and serving ourselves. We believe in capitalism with its incentive to enrich ourselves, even if this results in a vast concentration of wealth in a tiny percentage of the population at the expense of millions of poor.

We believe it is up to the individual to work to make their way in life, and we assume the myth that everyone has this equal opportunity. We don’t believe in using our tax dollars to provide social safety nets, preferring that individuals decide for themselves if they want to support charities.

Elections expose our American ideology. As we survey people on the basis of their vote we hear that their candidate must “Grow my 401K,” “Let me keep my guns,” or “Reduce my taxes.” The constant in all such reasons is the word “me.”

President John F. Kennedy challenged us to change our perspective in his inaugural address, encouraging us to ask not what our country can do for us, rather ask what we can do for our country.  Not coincidently, it was a time many of us felt positive and uplifted… even happy. 

The fact is there are billions of people who would gladly trade life circumstances with most of us.  We roll our eyes when our children, surrounded by toys and books and computer games, tell us a week into summer vacation that they are bored. Yet, so many of us are the adult version of our children. We have the most comfortable and secure lifestyles in the world and all we can do is grouse and grumble.

Surely, we have to be the whiniest people Earth has ever seen.