Research has found that placing too much value on being happy can be counterproductive to young people's mental health. With anxiety on the rise and young people feeling pressure to be their best selves, there’s a need for brands to speak with realism rather than uncensored optimism. We explore the insights and opportunities behind what this latest body of research means for brands looking to engage with and inspire these younger gens.
A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies has revealed that among students living in the UK, those who say they value happiness extremely highly are also more likely to show greater signs of depression. Researchers looked at students’ attitudes to happiness and their capacity to tolerate emotional states, discovering that those who were distracted by their feelings or emotional situations had a lower ability to reframe thoughts or experiences.
The connection between valuing happiness and depression was noted across nationalities, but it was especially strong among British participants – suggesting cultural factors may be at play. “When you value happiness too much, you become too attentive to your emotions and you also kind of struggle with regulating them in a good way,” says co-author Dr. Julia Vogt.
Whether it's gratitude journaling or swearing by positive affirmations, constantly striving for self-improvement has become the norm. However, with comparison only ever a social scroll away, mental health among UK students is worsening, with just 16% reporting manageable levels of anxiety in 2019, compared to 21% in 2016. “I think most people know what makes them happy when they think about it, and it is probably not the promotion or the big things – it is probably small things,” says Dr. Vogt.
Digital platforms such as Fika and Swirl are empowering young people to change the discourse on mental health, but there’s room for brands to help them embrace a spectrum of emotional states, rather than focusing solely on the pursuit of happiness. Upping the stakes when it comes to authentic activism, campaigns shedding light on the less glamorous emotional reality experienced by an increasing number of young people are starting to gain momentum. Facebook’s ‘Lets Talk’ initiative, for instance, prompted users to open up about their mental health, and ITV’s silent ad break encouraged honest conversation. And with 70% of Gen Zers citing anxiety and depression as a major issue, mental health is seeping into pop culture in new ways. In pop song lyrics, ‘depression’ now comes up about twice per 1,000 words, compared to 0.5 times per 1,000 words in 2000.
That said, despite the growing presence of mental health awareness in modern discourse, simply engaging in the conversation is not enough to win fans – and Burger King’s poorly received 'blue meals' illustrates the dangers of overbranding or monetising the mental health conversation.
Matilda Ruck is a Junior Behavioural Analyst at Canvas8. She has a degree in Politics and Philosophy as well as a foundation in psychotherapy. She's passionate about exploring the interplay between creativity, psychology, and culture. Outside of work, you can find her writing short stories, tending to her ginger cat Thomas O’Malley, or oscillating between yoga and karaoke practice.
