Are things actually getting worse, or does it only feel that way?

Most of us assume that if the world becomes wealthier, healthier, and more technologically advanced, people should also become happier. But that’s not what the data show. Over the past two decades, we’ve made remarkable material progress — yet many people feel more stressed, lonelier, and less hopeful than before. The puzzle is not a lack of solutions. It is a deeper problem of meaning.