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[StreetsofBeige]

This is fucked up. What happened? For me it was my friends moved to different states and got married, but thats not the case for everyone. Why are people not hanging out with their friends anymore? i literally have to spend thousands of dollars to go hang out with my friends but if i dont it, i know i will go insane. if you are in the same city, why arent you hanging out at least once a week for the whole day or half a day?

It looks like the line really drops hard around 2014. IMO, here's two reasons I can think of:

1. Smartphones and texting really took off. Yeah, texting was around earlier than that but I think around that time is when kids started getting phones as a norm. I dont think young kids got phones in the 2000s. So now everyone from adults to kids just text most of the time for fast communication which is short and to the point.

2. Digital console gaming, GAAS, movie sub plans and such really took off around that time too I think. So people will just stay home and entertain themselves with digital downloads and streaming. People like the Netflix binge watcher and Fortnite all day gamer come to mind.

I dont know if the years in the chart are the start of the year or end of the year. Typically it would be the start of a year. If thats the case I dont know why in 2019 it would drop like a rock. But if the 2020 label is the end of 2020, then covid would explain the steep drop on the right.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Looking forward to how these pretty clear and simple to understand conclusions will be swept to one side.

 

[FunkMiller]

It's scary to consider that these changes could be a precursor to complete collapse of human society as it currently is.

The whole world isn't like America, you know.

Human society won't collapse if the US continues to disappear up its own asshole.

 

[Wildebeest]

No other country supposedly cares about happiness to the degree that America does, to the point of it being a founding principle. My opinion is that if happiness isn't something that is available to you then why care about it?