Culture's Impact on Societal Happiness

Every year it is reported that “nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness” (“NIMH » Mental Illness”).  Perhaps this is because of advancements in technology or because of the current situation America is battling.  In fact, it may be due in part to the combination of many different cultural aspects that keeps our society resistant to change and fearing the unknown.  Individuals rely more on the outside world to define who they are as opposed to letting their intrinsic identities express themselves and lead the way.  This near impulsive need to conform to seemingly popular images has created an environment where individuals are unhappy and society is struggling.  Extrinsic cultural elements are harming the way society experiences happiness by leading individuals to subconsciously fit into the molds of contemporary “norms,” therefore decreasing the overall happiness of society.   

The definition of culture is widespread and contains many different elements.  In present-day America, the culture of a society is heavily dependent on the overall happiness of the individuals, and vice versa.  The factors that determine happiness are not universal, however, they are heavily influenced by three main components: social media, current trends, and the environment in which an individual works and was raised.  Although people of any age can be impacted by these elements, children and teenagers are the most vulnerable.  Today there is an array of technological advances and new trends that adolescents are eager to explore.  Consequently, they are more likely to integrate themselves into a world where the power of self-expression is debilitated and potentially harmful.  Although the effects of these developments can seem like a shock to society, it is not to say that they were unforeseeable.   

As seen in Orwell’s 1984, the culture of a society greatly impacts the way individuals experience happiness.  In terms of the environment in which Winston works, people are coerced into complying with the government even though they might have a differing opinion.  For example, Winston knows that the information he is writing in the paper is changed to benefit Big Brother; however, he doesn’t speak up out of fear.  Oceania is a place that “is founded upon hatred” where there are “no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement” (Orwell 267).  In other words, Orwell is demonstrating how the Party’s only concern is its success; whether the individuals are happy and satisfied or not is irrelevant to the needs of Big Brother.  Moreover, the government in Oceania uses telescreens to monitor everything the people do in order to control its population.  This is a clear example of how a pernicious environment limits self-expression by creating a place where differing opinions are scorned by instilling fear in the people.  By evaluating concepts from 1984, the future of American society can be predicted.   

There has been a substantial increase in the number of teenagers who use social media.  In today’s world, approximately “nine out of ten teens age 13-17 use social media platforms, and most (71%) use more than one” (“Youth Statistics…”).  These social media platforms pride themselves on their number of users, but this pride is harming the younger generations.  While the internet is an open platform for self-expression, many teenagers find themselves conforming to contemporary trends out of fear of “standing out.”  Although this may seem like a behavior exhibited to demonstrate status or popularity, there may be an evolutionary reason behind it.  When looking at the past behaviors of a particular community of society, “going against one’s group could be costly, and social cohesion was critical for the group’s overall success” (“Conformity”).  This represents the idea that the need to conform to a contemporary norm may be instinctual.  As a result, society is slowly becoming one in which there is a lack of self-confidence and an abundance of self-comparison.  In our world today, approximately 45.5% of adolescents classify themselves as having relatively low self-esteem (Stage of Life).  Why is this?

In today’s society, many adolescents are using the culture of social media to harm others because they are experiencing deficits in their self-esteem and their own happiness as a result of social media.  In a study focusing on the correlation between cyberbullying and low self-esteem in middle school students, it was confirmed that “students who experienced cyberbullying, both as a victim and an offender, had significantly lower self-esteem than those who had little or no experience with cyberbullying” (Patchin).  In addition, self-esteem is also related to how the pressures associated with social media may cause people, especially teenagers who are still developing, to try to change their image to create a facade of themselves on the internet. “Although the majority of teens claim to present themselves realistically on social media, many admit to only sharing information and pictures that make them appear better than they think they really are” (Markey).  This illustrates how platforms created with the intent to promote self-expression are decreasing the self-confidence of individuals.   

Crucial to the development of an individual during various stages of life is the culture of both family and work environments.  Maintaining a society where individuality is praised and happiness is experienced to its fullest potential is so important for an individual as supported by the idea “that happiness preserves good health” (Ghent).  In today’s society, many people live in environments in which the perception of happiness is heavily influenced by how wealthy an individual is.  Although this theory is one that is widely accepted, evidence supports the idea that “the most positive correlations between increased income and happiness occur below the threshold where basic living needs are met” (Fagundes).  Clearly, by trying to push their limits to satisfy societal stigmas, individuals become more stressed out and less likely to live an authentically happy life.  A common misconception about individual happiness is that having more money equates to being happier.  However, “it's giving, not having, money that contributes most to a sense of well-being” (Elsen).  When someone has their vision focused on one goal, especially one involving money, their perceived happiness and success starts to heavily rely on extrinsic influences, such as being able to purchase and own items that are deemed popular on social media.  That is when the overall happiness of a society starts to decrease because the internal expectations individuals hold are unrealistically high.  In a similar way, the degree to which an individual experiences happiness is heavily weighted upon the environment where they work on a daily basis.  In a study evaluating the correlation between self and peer-rated orientations to happiness and the overall well-being of an individual, it was found that “the life of pleasure was associated with lower levels of reported work stress” (Tandler).  This demonstrates that happier individuals are less likely to become overwhelmed, and vise versa.    

In contrast, the increase in technological advances may be beneficial to society. These platforms allow people to grow and learn more about themselves and others.  Apps such as Headspace and Calm were created to aid in the need for platforms that allow people to meditate, a practice suggested to increase happiness.  Through practicing meditation, individuals are able to stay grounded and connect with the identity that is found inside themselves.  Certainly, the creators of these programs “may be interested not only in maximizing the average level of happiness but also in promoting a more equal distribution of happiness across individuals and over time” (Bennett and Boris).  

Nevertheless, what seem to be the benefits of our evolving culture are causing adverse effects than those that were intended.  When people turn to others to shape their identities, they find themselves getting lost and always looking for an endless amount of validation that is unattainable.  In fact, “if an individual puts the opinion, approval, or recognition of someone else over their own feelings, they will need that external, other person's validation on an ongoing basis” (Gaba).  Thus the individual is stuck in a paralyzing situation where the overall happiness of society is harmed.  Evidently, this constant need for “validation can create anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, and make it addictive to hear praise, acceptance, and acknowledgment in all aspects of life” (Gaba).  Clearly, individuals are constantly being tested by the toxic cultures of society at the expense of their mental health.  By trying to shape themselves into fluid molds, people are limiting their abilities to learn more about themselves and the person they hope to become, therefore limiting their abilities to live a genuine life.  

When given the right opportunities, individuals are able to flourish in their own skin and be proud of who they are.  However, a problem arises when they are so heavily influenced by the outside world that their vision to see the beauty in going against the gradient is clouded by their want to follow the crowd.  The idea that “true happiness comes from within” is not a skill that people are born with, but rather one that takes practice, repetition, and an abundance of self-determination (Dumont).  When individuals are able to rise above their behaviors of impulsively following modern, contemporary norms, then society as a whole becomes happier and more successful.  It is then that communities can evolve and individuals can find strength in themselves to not let the power of extrinsic factors determine who they truly are.   

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