Sapien Labs, a non-profit whose mission is to “understand and enable the human mind,” has published its annual Mental State of the World Report, a global review of the mental wellness of the Internet-enabled population. Its research draws from over 220,000 responses in 34 countries, measuring mental wellbeing on a spectrum from Distressed to Thriving.

Among its findings was a worrisome discovery about youth mental health worldwide: “The alarming decline in mental wellbeing among younger generations was a global phenomenon.” Compared to 7% of seniors who reported a dip in mental health that would be considered clinical, “44% (38% to 50% across different regions) had mental wellbeing scores in [the] Distressed or Struggling range.”

• The English-speaking world had the poorest mental wellbeing of six regions worldwide.
• Countries with stronger social connections fared better than those where individuals were more isolated.
• Countries high on indicators of Performance Orientation and Individualism had the poorest mental wellbeing across all dimensions and age groups.
• Country indicators of economic prosperity are negatively correlated with mental wellbeing, particularly for young adults and males, and belies the commonly held belief that national economic prosperity translates to greater social wellbeing.

Read the report in its entirety here:

The Mental State of the World Report 

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