Leftist Values Are Causing Young Americans to Be Miserable

I began part one of “Why Are So Many Young People Unhappy?” with data showing the apparently unprecedentedly high rate of unhappiness among young people in America (and elsewhere, but I am focusing on America).

The rates of suicide, self-injury, depression, mass shootings, and loneliness (at all ages) are higher than ever recorded.

It seems that Americans may have been happier, and certainly less lonely, during the Great Depression and World War II than today, even with today’s unprecedentedly high levels of health, longevity, education, and material well-being.

There is, of course, no single explanation, and I listed a number of possible explanations:

Increased use of illicit drugs and prescription drug abuse, and less human interaction because of constant cellphone use are two widely offered, valid explanations. Less valid explanations include competition, grades anxiety, capitalism, and income inequality. And then there are young people’s fears that because of global warming, they have a bleak, and perhaps no, future.

But I do believe that a loss of values and meaning are the two greatest sources of unhappiness...