Shift in Mental Despair Trends Among U.S. Workers by Age and Employment Status
By
johntfella
10mo ago· 1 min readenInsight
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Summary
The article discusses a shift in the relationship between mental despair and age in the United States, noting that despair now declines monotonically with age due to rising despair among young workers. The trend varies by labor market status, with the traditional hump-shaped pattern persisting for those unable to work or unemployed, while remaining flat for homemakers, students, and retirees. The research is attributed to the NBER, a non-partisan economic research organization.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledBetween the early 1990s and 2015 the relationship between mental despair and age was hump-shaped in the United States: it rose to middle-age, then declined later in life.
That relationship has now changed: mental despair declines monotonically with age due to a rise in despair among the young.
The hump-shape in age still exists for those who are unable to work and the unemployed.
The relation between mental despair and age is broadly flat, and has remained so, for homemakers, students and the retired.
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.
