Young adults report lower life satisfaction in Sweden
by late on 2/3/2026, 5:12:53 PM
https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/article/view/6001/1299
Comments
by: 10xDev
> In Sweden and other parts of the Western world, for example, recent findings point to a widening intergenerational gap where older adults report increasing well being while younger individuals experience notable declines<p>So it is just a case of older people pulling the ladder up behind themselves.
2/3/2026, 7:54:23 PM
by: sejje
I don't have a source, but I've been hearing that this is just common among young people everywhere.<p>They blamed social media for Americans.
2/3/2026, 7:25:06 PM
by: lp4v4n
Chronic housing shortage, peak social competition, education and labor cratering in value, inability to find a job despite advanced degrees, above average salaries that don't pay the cost of living, "once in a lifetime crisis" after crisis, art(cinema, music, etc) in decline, politically deadlocked society... The list is long.<p>I always find it funny to read the statistics about how life has never been easier when society is in clear disarray and the opportunities that existed just a few decades ago simply evaporated.
2/3/2026, 8:26:29 PM
by: cal_dent
Scratch the surface a little bit and it’s always comes down to housing/living costs.<p>More than enough work out there actually pays well in isolation to live a decent full life, it’s just relatively local housing costs it probably sucks.<p>And not just for young people. We’re fully in an environment where how good and flexible your life is is highly dependent on when you bought a home, or if you own a home.
2/3/2026, 8:30:07 PM
by: qweiopqweiop
Sweden is such an interesting country. Arguably peak gender equality, but also child assassins and bombs right now. I hope they can sort out their issues.
2/3/2026, 7:43:22 PM
by: madhacker
As a former young adult, I can attest to this self-loathing discontentment.
2/3/2026, 7:22:31 PM
by: stared
…than in Norway, than old adults, that 20 years ago?
2/3/2026, 7:34:33 PM
by: terespuwash
> In fact, previous studies suggest that older adults tend to prioritize positive over negative information<p>So just avoiding the truth does the trick
2/3/2026, 8:24:51 PM
by: ramuel
hmm what a mystery. I wonder why
2/3/2026, 7:29:39 PM
by: lysace
Clickbait/editorializing in submission title. Also: Paper doesn't robustly support this statement.<p>The actual title of the paper: "Flourishing in Sweden: Great overall — but not for all"<p>But the poster clearly knows what kind of title makes a post fly.
2/3/2026, 7:25:02 PM
by: seneca
This is one of those topics where everyone is going to insert their personal bête noire as the cause. "Tech, the economy, culture, immigrants, loss of religion, corruption, polarization, capitalism, socialism!". I actually really like threads like this, since it's a good way to get a pulse on what the different discontentment topics are at any given time.
2/3/2026, 7:33:44 PM