Generations

Any rise in mental health issues seems to have begun after the Silents, and not with them.

“Some men see things as they are, and say why,” Robert F. Kennedy (b. 1925) said. “I dream of things that never were, and say why not.”

trends that the Boomers began accelerated through the next three generations. If you’re considering your Gen X parents, your Millennial boss, or your Gen Z college student and asking, How did we get here? you have to look back to 1946, when it all started with a boom.

It’s not just physical health that is at risk for Polars with technology use, but mental health. The use of social media—with all of its social pressures and exposure to adult issues—appears to be starting younger and younger.

individualism has brought Americans a culture with unprecedented freedom, diverse voices, and a belief that people can be who they want to be. However, it has also created more distrust of others, and a fragmented social fabric. Leaving social rules behind to favor the individual brings both freedom and chaos, both liberation and disconnection.

Millennials talk about feeling they “had” to go to college, they have a point: The social norm shifted significantly in the direction of four-year college for their generation.

1. Remote work. For all of its challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced many Americans to the advantages of ditching their commutes. Gen X’ers and Millennials with children appreciated the greater flexibility and family time, and Gen Z—used to the convenience of doing everything online—adapted easily.

Although people continue to change throughout their lives, our fundamental views of the world are often shaped during adolescence and young adulthood, making the younger generations a crystal ball for what is to come.

For Gen X’ers, individualism is taken for granted: Of course the needs of the self come first. Duh.