In the 2025 World Happiness Report, the United States ranked 24th out of 147 countries. This is the lowest ranking that the U.S. has received since the start of the report 13 years ago. In our day-to-day lives, most of us can probably sense this unrest, but what exactly is causing this unhappiness?
First, I should explain how the report actually works. They collect their data by asking residents across the globe various questions related to levels of happiness and satisfaction on a scale of zero to 10. These questions are on things anywhere from personal to large-scale states of satisfaction. They then cross reference those answers with data on family demographics and voting patterns to make conclusions on what leads to the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of a country. The resulting report is the analysis of the two years prior, meaning the 2025 report actually reflects trends from 2022-2024. The results for this particular report are interesting
Americans, especially young Americans, are reporting high levels of interpersonal distrust. They distrust others, and they distrust the social and political system as a whole. Through an experiment on college campuses in which they asked students about the likeliness of a lost wallet being returned, they found that young people grossly underestimate the empathy of their peers. Yet when the university-age students were shown this discrepancy, they were willing to change their beliefs and their behaviors. All they needed was to be shown that people care.
This suggests that young adults are prone to believing the narrative they are told. Everything they see in the news is about political unrest and social issues, and this negativity is affecting them. Tell them people are bad, and they believe it. But tell them that people are good, and they will believe that. We need to change the narrative we are telling them.
Neurology shows us that our brains have strong neuroplasticity. This means that our brains can be trained to follow certain patterns of thought over time. So having the same thought over and over will actually create neural pathways in the brain that alter all future ways of thinking. An article from Remedy Clinic states, “Over time, these pathways become more robust and efficient. But there’s a flip side. Just as the brain can form positive, beneficial pathways, it can also reinforce negative ones.” According to this, then, pessimism is a learned behavior. But so is seeing the good in people. So how do we change the story that we are telling ourselves about our world, specifically when our country is in such a perturbed state?
I once had a professor who told us that instead of focusing on the bulk of something that we know is bad, find one good thing in all of it. You don’t need to name the bad, because you are already acutely aware of its existence. But focus on that one good thing. Say it out loud. Tell it to a friend. And over time, you will see your attitude toward the whole begin to shift based on a small piece.
This approach can work on a larger scale as well. While many are unhappy with the political state of the U.S., perhaps we should try to find the good. The world isn’t ending. Find something you like about this country. Whatever it is in this country’s ideals or practices, focus on that thing. Yes, there will still be controversy and dissension. Yes, there will still be things going on that you disagree with. But you may surprise yourself with how your outlook may change. Things can only continue to look bad until you look for the good.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
