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Is Optimism in Young Adults Harmful to Mental Health?

Sara Libby | Thursday 4th February 2010

Our current economic crisis has created an atmosphere in which we're constantly being told things are "the worst since the Great Depression." It stands to reason, then, that people would inevitably become more depressed, right? One study sees mental health issues becoming a more pronounced health and wellness issue among young adults, although it stops short of blaming the economy.

In fact, UC San Diego professor Jean Twenge, who led the study, says the findings are more indicative of a culture that emphasizes the importance of wealth, beauty and status. Twenge and other researchers used a survey called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), a set of questions that has been in use since the 1930. They found that about five times as many students in 2007 crossed thresholds in one or more mental health categories compared with people answering the same questions in 1938.

Tellingly, the categories of hypomania - a measure of stress and unrealistic optimism - and depression both surged. The "psychopathic deviation" category also saw an uptick, which often indicates a problem with authority and feelings that the rules don't apply to you. Twenge has led previous studies that she says shows today's young people are more narcissistic and have exaggerated feelings of self-importance. But others are skeptical that students are becoming more depressed or overwhelmingly anxious - or that these feelings are being caused by pop culture. Some doctors suggest, for example, that students might be seeking help from mental health professionals at a greater rate because there is more awareness that such services are available to them.

As a member of the generation targeted in the survey, I'd certainly argue that having high expectations and a heightened sense of optimism is not necessarily bound to have a negative impact on a person's health and wellness. For example, we came out in huge numbers to help elect a president who embodied that sense of optimism so well with his message of hope and change. And now that many of us are facing some depressing prospects: a bleak job market, a lack of health insurance, etc., I think we're better off confronting these issues with a positive outlook. If that's proof that I'm mentally ill, then I'll have to accept that.

Sure, unrealistic expectations can sometimes be unhealthy. But I don't think that having a strong sense of self, or believing one can accomplish great things despite a shaky economic climate or a competitive academic environment are necessarily the scary health and wellness indicators that Twenge and company believe they are. Still, anxiety and depression are serious health issues, and any young people experiencing either shouldn't hesitate to talk with a doctor or counselor about their feelings.

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