Are Millennials Suffering from an Anxiety Epidemic?
How many of us have read articles about millennials suffering from anxiety? For example ‘Anxiety in millennials is on the rise,’or ‘Why are millennials so unhappy and anxious?’ But is it truly millennials we are referring to or is it perhaps generation Z that is suffering from anxiety?
Who are millennials? According to Wikipedia, millennials’ birth range begins from the 1980s and ends in the mid 1990s/early 2000s. While Gen Z’s birth years on the other hand begin in the mid1990s and end in 2010s.
The post-millennials generation, generation Z, is the first to be born in an internet-connected world. The visual part of their brain is highly developed, compared to millennials, as their brains are wired to sophisticated, complex and visual images than auditory stimuli.. When it comes to working, they are highly multi-tasking individuals who can work on an article and simultaneously listen to music. They find hacking fascinating because the hackers are code magicians who can breakthrough computer systems by writing complex algorithms. Gen Z is capable of doing work quickly and efficiently compared to millennials, but the flip side is that they may be the ones more prone to psychological disorders typically, anxiety and depression. Different generations may not share similar experiences of anxiety, this article, therefore, aims to compare and evaluate the generational differences in anxiety. Despite technology, that has reduced difficulties and eased our day-to-day lives, it has even been associated with serious disorders, like anxiety, depression, stress, etc.
When it comes to failure there are many proverbs that tell us not to give up, and keep on working hard like for example, ‘Try till you succeed,’ but the motto for Gen Z is, “If at first you don’t succeed, maybe you shouldn’t do it.” This rephrasing portrays them as lazy and unbothered individuals, (Rothman, 2016).
Factors causing anxiety
Bad sleeping habits
Smartphones! The device that cheers us up and lightens our mood was designed to make our lives easier, however, the irony is that they have disrupted our lives! Nocturnal smartphone addiction is a condition in which individuals are highly addicted to their smartphones at night (Woods & Scott, 2016).
Studies show that students have reported saying that the light from their smartphones causes distractions and makes them want to check their smartphones for messages, Instagram posts, etc, thus disrupting their sleep cycle (Lanaj, Johnson & Barnes, 2014). Most teens lack REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep essential for the healthy development and functioning of the brain. Less REM sleep causes disruption in the sleep cycle and results in mood disorders, distractions, laziness, health-related issues and gives way to psychological disorders like anxiety and depression (see Fig 1.1).The disrupted pattern of sleep is observed in all generations even baby boomers but they are different than us as during their adolescent years their sleep cycle was not disrupted by technological devices and they would play out-doors most of the time, which kept them fit and strong and immune to diseases. (Mead, 2008)
Baby boomers are also trapped in the world of stress; their current lifestyle has negatively affected their immunity. However, in the millennials and Gen Z population, the case is different. Outdoor activity has been limited as we prefer to spend more time on our smart devices than outdoors. Limited out-door activity, results in deterioration of the immune system. Thus, sleep pattern disruption is observed in millennials and Gen Z and poor sleeping habits manifest anxiety.
Imbalance in Psychological well-being
Carl Ryff suggested that psychological well-being theory is the interaction between the individual and the environment, balanced by various factors and an imbalance results in diseases/disorders; factors comprising: establishing positive relations with others, self-acceptance, autonomy, continued growth and development, the pursuit of meaningful goals and ability to manage complex environments. Self-acceptance is the awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of one’s self and could be anything; it could be your looks, your performance in your curriculum, behavior to others, etc. Speaking of beauty, Gen Z get easily anxious if they gain weight or get acne as they fear being judged which may result in social anxiety(Leary & Jongman-Sereno, 2014).
Establishing positive relations with each other is seen more in millennials however, virtually establishing positive relations is done better by the Gen Z. Not much has been conducted on autonomy and the ability to manage complex environments. Continued growth and development is seen in both millennials and gen Z, but both differ in ways to evolve themselves; the former evolve themselves by working hard and the latter use creativity as a tool to achieve success.
Parenting styles
Parenting styles, another important factor in analyzing the relationship between anxiety and generations investigates the generational gap difference. How were you raised during your childhood? Can you recall what category your parents belong to? (Refer ‘Parenting Styles and Social Anxiety’ for more.)
A new parenting style has emerged in the millennials, called helicopter parenting, where parents observe their children in every aspect and get involved in small matters which makes the child anxious (Martinez et al., 2019). It is good to have parents involved in important aspects but a parent always hovering around the child reduces the child’s coping skills. This parenting style emerged in millennials, but gen Z’s parents also exhibit helicopter parenting which manifests anxiety in children.
Parents depending on technological devices to raise their children would imply that the child is staying indoors and, compromising the development of motor skills crucial for the healthy development of the child, risking the addition of anxiety in their life. Parents ensuring a good upbringing, nutrition and environment for their children to grow and learn in results in positive well-being of the child which inturn buffers stress, indicating the importance of healthy parenting in a child’s/adolescent’s healthy development.
Housing stability
Parenting styles along with poor housing stability plays a role in anxiety among millennials. It was observed in a study that in the west, millennial students leave their family home to live on their own but in eastern cultures, students are dependent on the parents and even live with them (Curry, 2016). If a student is left on their own, they tend to be more anxious in balancing their college life and housing (expenses excluding their parents), seen in millennials and Gen Z students. Yet, there are students who can still manage well without their parents and still be successful individuals. Childhood adversity can result in physical, social and psychological developmental disorders that typically result in anxiety.
Studies show that millennials students work hard to clear their tuition fees and work part-time too, to clear their debts, and working hard in-turn makes them feel content and less anxious. On the other hand, Gen Z has been labeled to be a bunch of lazy kids who are not hardworking (Arar & Yüksel, 2015). The word ‘impulsive’ is often used to describe them and being highly impulsive is associated with depression and anxiety.
Smartphone/Smart device
‘The challenge for a human now is to be interesting to another than his or her smartphone’
- Alain de Botton
Today, smartphones are more interesting and entertaining than humans. They have various advantages like instant communication, convenient user interface, camera, productivity apps, etc. Problematic smartphone-related phenomena have recently emerged, like a fear of missing out (FOMO), a constant need to stay in touch may interfere with day to day activities and reduce behavioral activation and subsequently increase depression (Dhir et al., 2018). ‘Low battery smartphone anxiety’ is a condition in which the individual gets anxious when their phone battery depletes and they get agitated and scurry through their belongings to get a charger. There is a test to check if you are suffering from this anxiety. Low battery phone anxiety is often observed in Gen Z adolescents. Today, it is not uncommon to spot infants playing on a smart device and parents preferring to give the smart device to calm their kids. Thus, this factor is seen in millennials and Gen Z with FOMO and low battery phone anxiety on the rise in Gen Z.
Social media feed
Social media was created for a positive outlet but has been turned into a negative platform of critiques that exacerbates envy and insecurity. Thick skinned individuals may be able to cope with this and even fight back, but not everybody is able to. Social media can, thus lead to various health issues associated with biological (alters brain plasticity), social (social anxiety) and psychological factors (depression, stress, personality disorders). According to researchers, the current generation is simple-minded, gullible and inexperienced as they share all their personal information on websites, exposing them to the dangers of cyber crime.
Some adolescents suffering from loneliness derive satisfaction from virtual reality programmes and games, however, if anything goes wrong, they become shattered and fall prey to mental disorders (Caplan, 2006). In one study, researchers administered The Beck Anxiety Inventory-Trait and the results showed a positive relationship between social media and social anxiety (Vannucci et al., 2017). Awareness of social media addiction has reduced addiction to social media and individuals tend to break their addictive habits and resist their urge to check their social media pages. Thus, according to research, millennials (Grau, Kleiser & Bright, 2019) and Gen Z (Turner, 2015) are both victims of anxiety disorders in this factor.
Gaming
Gaming is known to facilitate creativity skills, uplift our moods and make our life entertaining, however addiction results in disorders. Players need to balance their gaming life and their work/school life. In online role-playing games (ORPG) some players become spendthrifts when they are unable to progress in levels and to gain privileges in the game (Lee & Leeson, 2015). Online gaming obstructs students’ concentration in their school life as they tend to take the virtual life seriously. Addictive virtual gaming players have two personas: their real self and their game self. Some gamers are more successful and popular in the game than real life and their success increases their game self-esteem and failure results in depression (Mehroof & Griffiths, 2010). The isolation that they face tends to reduce their real-life self-esteem and their self-confidence leading to social anxiety. Addiction to games has also resulted in a rise in crime, specifically in post-millennials generation (Gen Z).
The Solution
All of the above factors are associated with anxiety in individuals. The solution to reducing anxiety disorders will be discussed as follows and the keyword to remember them is BIGG.
B e yourself: Love and accept yourself no matter how many mistakes you make, amend them at the earliest to improve and evolve yourself.
I mportance of Breakfast: One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to have a proper breakfast and never skip meals. If you are anxious/depressed the key to uplift your mood is to have small good meals.
G ive importance to the reality: Don’t be engrossed in the virtual life, they give you temporary pleasures, establishing positive relations with others will make you more successful and content with life.
G ood quality sleep: Quality matters over quantity, so even if you get a few hours of sleep, ensure that it has fulfilled the REM sleep and that this sleep makes you fresh for starting the day better. Recording your quality of sleep is a good way to ensure your sleep quality.
In summary, millennials and Gen Z are on the edge and can sink into anxiety and depression if various factors like sleep quality, time spent on social media, parenting styles and time spent on games is neglected. Adolescents cannot control their parents’ parenting styles, but they can surely control their life and steer their goals in the right direction. Individuals’ psychological well-being must be balanced; establishing positive relations in reality, must hold priority than establishing positive relations on social media. There is a need to constantly remind ourselves that suffering from anxiety,is not a sin, but the symptoms should not be neglected and measures should be taken to prevent falling into severe anxiety/depression.
References
Arar, T., & Yüksel, İ. (2015). How to Manage Generation Z in Business Life=. Journal of Global Economics, Management and Business Research, 4(4), 195–202.
Caplan, S. E. (2006). Relations among loneliness, social anxiety, and problematic Internet use. CyberPsychology & behavior, 10(2), 234–242.
Curry, S. (2016). The Flip Side of the Boomerang Generation: The Role of Childhood Adversity and Social Support on Housing Stress and Independent Living of Millennials in Young Adulthood (Doctoral dissertation, UCLA).
Dhir, A., Yossatorn, Y., Kaur, P., & Chen, S. (2018). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing — A study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression. International Journal of Information Management, 40, 141–152.
Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center, 17.
Grau, S., Kleiser, S., & Bright, L. (2019). Exploring social media addiction among student millennials. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 22(2), 200–216.
Joy, M., & Hasan, K. (2018). A Survey on Breakfast Habit and Skipping Breakfast among University Going Students (Doctoral dissertation, East West University).
Lanaj, K., Johnson, R. E., & Barnes, C. M. (2014). Beginning the workday yet already depleted? Consequences of late-night smartphone use and sleep. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 124(1), 11–23.
Lee, B. W., & Leeson, P. R. C. (2015). Online gaming in the context of social anxiety. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29(2), 473–482.
Lee, G., Han, K., & Kim, H. (2017). Risk of mental health problems in adolescents skipping meals: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 to 2012. Nursing outlook, 65(4), 411–419.
Leary, M. R., & Jongman-Sereno, K. P. (2014). Social anxiety as an early warning system: A refinement and extension of the self-presentation theory of social anxiety. In Social anxiety (pp. 579–597). Academic Press.
Martinez, R., Esparragoza, D., Tickerhoof, C., Wesley, A., Anderson, C., Whitlark, C., … & Cho, S. (2019). Today’s Anxiety Society: The Mental Deterioration of iGen.
Mehroof, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2010). Online gaming addiction: the role of sensation seeking, self-control, neuroticism, aggression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 13(3), 313–316.
Mead, M. N. (2008). Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.
Rothman, D. (2016). A Tsunami of learners called Generation Z. URL: http://www. mdle. net/JoumaFA_Tsunami_of_Learners_Called_Generation_Z. pdf.
Turner, A. (2015). Generation Z: Technology and social interest. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 71(2), 103–113.
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of adolescence, 51, 41–49.
Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of affective disorders, 207, 163–166.
