> In many but not all regions, the young are happier than the old. But in North America happiness has fallen so sharply for the young that they are now less happy than the old. By contrast, in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the young are much happier than the old. In Western Europe as a whole happiness is similar at all ages, while elsewhere it tends to decline over the life cycle (with an occasional upturn for the old).

This seems to be a phenomenon uniquely present in the Anglosphere. I don't think smartphones are the culprit.

What about, for example, the loss (or stagnation, as it is sometime thought of) of culture we've seen since the smartphone? I think it is fair to say that the smartphone – or a closely related technology – is why that has happened. Take music as a prime example: When I was young, you pretty much had to listen to the same music as everyone else as it was very hard to discover anything beyond. The music everyone was listening to defined a culture. These days, with the change in technology, we could very easily never hear the same song. But someone who has never touched a smartphone in their life is not excluded here.

There is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that suicide rates are higher amongst those who don't find a shared identity. Interestingly, youth suicide rates also dropped precipitously during the COVID period. I expect screen time shot through the roof during that phase! But, perhaps, knowing that everyone was dealing with the same COVID experience provided something to identify with.