Why Were We Happier With Less? (The 90s Explain Everything)

Life in the 90s was objectively harder — less money, no GPS, no internet, no instant everything. So why were anxiety levels significantly lower back then compared to today? In this video, we break down the real data behind why people in the 1990s were less anxious than we are now — even with fewer resources, less technology, and less convenience. We look at the research on smartphone adoption, social media's impact on mental health, the disappearance of face-to-face socializing, and the science of boredom and the brain's default mode network — and what all of it reveals about what we quietly lost along the way. This isn't about blaming technology. It's about understanding exactly what changed, when it changed, and what (if anything) we can take back. If this made you think differently about something you do every single day — that's the whole point. Subscribe for more videos like this every week. Sources referenced in this video: WHO Global Mental Health Atlas CDC National Health Statistics Report, 2024 NHS England Health Survey Twenge et al., Psychological Medicine, 2019 American Time Use Survey / Jean Twenge, iGen Federal Highway Administration / Sivak & Schoettle, University of Michigan Pew Research Center Braghieri, Levy & Nanda, Journal of Human Resources, 2022 Jordan et al., Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011 Lanaj, Johnson & Barnes, Journal of Applied Psychology, 2014 Wilson et al., Science, 2014 Child Mind Institute | American College Health Association #90s #Nostalgia #MentalHealth #Anxiety #SocialMedia #Smartphones #Psychology #90sKids #Documentary #WhyWereWeHappier