Book excerpt: "The Meaning of Your Life" by Arthur C. Brooks

TL;DR

Arthur C. Brooks' book "The Meaning of Your Life" addresses a cultural crisis of meaning and a rise in anxiety and depression.
Student mental health has significantly declined, with many receiving treatment for depression and anxiety.
Rates of depression and anxiety have nearly tripled and doubled, respectively, among American adolescents from 2005 to 2019.
The percentage of American adults reporting they are "not too happy" with their lives has more than doubled since 2000.
Brooks describes the phenomenon as a "psychogenic epidemic" with social or psychological, not biological, causes.
He dismisses generational scapegoating and popular explanations like economic hardship or entitlement.
Research indicates a strong correlation between social media use and emotional problems.
The overuse of technology is seen as a coping mechanism for an underlying absence of meaning, hope, opportunity, or love.

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