The Post-COVID Happiness Collapse: Why American Well-Being Hasn't Recovered
By
momentmaker
Crisp on the outside, thoughtful on the inside. A keeper.
Summary
The article examines a sharp and historically unprecedented decline in American happiness following the COVID-19 pandemic, as documented by University of Chicago economist Sam Peltzman's 2026 analysis of General Social Survey data. Peltzman describes this as a "regime change" in national sentiment, where self-reported well-being plummeted after 50 years of stability and has failed to meaningfully recover through 2024. The piece explores the economic and psychological factors behind why a wealthy nation has become so unhappy.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe United States was a reasonably happy country for a long time. It is not happy now.
a sudden, sharp and historically unprecedented decline in self-reported happiness in the US population
a regime change in national sentiment
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