Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals How Gen Z Is “Fueling the Decline in Happiness”

America has lost its spot in the top 20 happiest countries, and it is a serious concern one should be paying attention to. At least, that’s what bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks. Highlighting this through his daily newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, Arnie shed light on the fact that America ranked in 15th place last year and fell to 23rd place this year.

There could be many causes for this, and the most common reason that might come to everyone’s mind is inflation. That being said, America is not the only country going through it. Many countries that have had issues owing to inflation have still ranked above the US. 

While the impact of inflation cannot be denied, according to Arnie there is another reason behind this decline in rankings. “The youngest generation of adults, Generation Z, is fueling the decline in happiness. When you dive into their answers, you can start to see what is going on,” he wrote in the newsletter. 

The Austrian Oak shed light on the fact that nearly a decade ago, when he went to restaurants, everyone had conversations with each other. People used to share and connect while laughing. On the other hand, nowadays everyone is busy looking at their phone’s screen, without feeling the need to connect and bond in real life. Instead, Arnie believes that they want to do this virtually. 

The Terminator highlighted that, on average, Gen Z spends seven hours on their phones. “I believe that for many people, the machines become a replacement for purpose. They don’t have time to figure out their vision for making a difference in their world, so they aren’t sure why they are doing what they are doing,” explained the Austrian Oak. 

The Terminator urges youngsters to snap out of the virtual world, go out to the real world for a walk, and find their purpose in life. That being said, the Austrian Oak did not just focus on the negative side of Gen Z. He also praised them for a certain mindset they followed.

The Austrian Oak praises the Gen Z way of measuring success

Like his usual self, the Austrian Oak tried to focus on the positive aspects of the answers derived from Gen Z as well. He shared that approximately 64 percent of those surveyed say they are happy. This percentage of Gen Z thinks that the things they do at work or school are important. Apart from others, these kids know what their goal is and are ambitious toward it. He further disclosed a surprising fact about Gen Z.

The Austrian Oak stated, “Gen Z’s happiness is not based on how much money they make like many of the older generations — it is based on the impact they feel they are having.” He praised them for having such a healthy mentality and mentioned this as a “fantastic way to measure true success.” According to the newsletter, people belonging to Gen Z  are twice as happy when they are among communities that support and love them. 

Looking at how phones might be the reason for the decrease in happiness, what are your views on this matter? Do you agree with the Austrian Oak? Let us know in the comments.