It looks like Elmo really hit a nerve! It’s been awhile since I last watched Sesame Street, so I missed the initial buzz. But when he tweeted last January asking how everybody was doing, our little friend reportedly got an avalanche of angst and dread. So much so that Sesame Street Workshop followed up with an online survey, conducted in May, 2024 along with the Harris Poll. The Sesame Workshop State of Well-Being Report 2024 based on online interviews of 2,012 Americans aged 16 years and older, reflected a nation concerned just as much about mental health as about the economy.
Interestingly, the survey found that 56% of respondents felt the average American adult was anxious, 44% thought the average American adult was difficult, and 43% said the average American adult was resilient. Only 42% were optimistic about the well-being of all Americans, while 66% were optimistic about their own well-being. In this regard, 72% said persevering in the face of challenges was most important for adults’ well-being. Tellingly, 82% of Gen Z adults (18-27 years) and Millennials (28-43 years) agreed that they wished they had been taught more about how to handle their emotions growing up (compared with 65% of respondents from older generations). Meanwhile, 44% wanted leaders and institutions to focus on our country’s ability to get through difficult times. Finally, 90% felt that their and their family’s emotional/mental health were very important or somewhat important for their and their family’s future well-being. Similar results have been found in earlier national surveys. For example, the Stress in America 2023 survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association found that about 47% of adults aged 18-34 years felt they were so stressed most days they couldn’t function. Also, the CDC has reported that the suicide rate for those aged 20 – 24 years increased 63% from 2001 through 2021 (National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief No. 471 June 2023, p.4). The bottom line is that our pal Elmo discovered an unhappy reality. After about one quarter of the twenty-first century, Americans are not feeling exceptionally strong or resilient.
For approximately the past 50 years, researchers have accumulated an impressive body of empirical evidence associating spirituality with better mental and physical health, reduced substance abuse, reduced suicides, and increased longevity. A couple of current studies will serve to illustrate these research trends. In a study published this year ( Arkin, et al, 2024), researchers found that positive religious coping (drawing strength and comfort from one’s relationship with God) was a significant predictor of post traumatic growth (e.g. developing new interests, feeling stronger, realizing what’s important in life, etc.) in a sample of survivors of Hurricane Katrina. In another study published this year (Matos, et al, 2024), religious meaning making was found to facilitate adjustment to traumatic stressors in a sample of Syrian Muslim refugees living in Portugal following the Syrian war. The researchers found that relying on their Islamic beliefs, values, and practices (e.g. prayer seeking comfort and protection, beliefs about suffering being a test of faith, etc.), allowed these refugees to ascribe meaning to their difficult experiences, helping them to restore coherence, reduce distress, and find purpose. Further, another recent study (Chen, Koh, Kawatchi, Botticelli, & Vanderweele, 2020) found that women who attended religious services at least once per week were 68%, and men 33%, less likely to die from deaths of despair (including suicide, drug overdose, or alcohol poisoning). Finally, Chen, Kim, & Vanderweele (2020) found that people who attended religious services at least once per week had a 26% lower risk of all-cause mortality, and service attendance was positively associated with psychosocial well-being outcomes such as life satisfaction and purpose in life.
As it turns out, purpose in life is a very powerful source of resilience and strength. You may recall Nietzsche’s famous dictum: He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. As Viktor Frankl observed in the World War II concentration camps, those who had a strong sense of purpose or meaning in life, a cause to serve or a group to live for, were more likely to survive the ordeal. Research has now confirmed that purpose in life tends to be associated with higher self-esteem, health, and well-being. Indeed, a recent theme in the purpose in life research has drawn some additional attention. A meta-analysis of prior studies found that a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life was associated with a lower risk of dementia. More recently, Guo, et al. (2024) have found that individuals who subsequently were assessed with mild cognitive impairment had lower levels of purpose in life and personal growth beginning 3 years and 6 years before the MCI diagnosis. Hence, reduced purpose in life and personal growth, frequently seen as components of psychological well-being, may serve as a predictor for later impaired cognitive function.
Of course, the possible association of purpose in life and personal growth, on the one hand, and cognitive impairment on the other, may be bidirectional and probably quite complicated. But it seems reasonable to speculate that a lack of purpose in life might lead to the kind of diminished existence which could exacerbate cognitive issues. In any event, if having a vibrant sense of purpose and meaning in life is adaptive, then we would expect to see healthier and more effective functioning in those who evidence it. This is certainly the case for purpose/meaning in life, having been associated with lower anxiety and depression, as well as the possibility of enhanced cognitive functioning. Purpose in particular, and psychological well-being in general, matter for our happiness and quality of life. In future articles, I’ll be touching upon other ways in which our spiritual core can enhance our strength and resilience. In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts about spirituality and well-being.
References
Arkin, M., Lowe, S.R., Poon, C. Y.S., & Rhodes, J.E. Associations between religious coping and long-term mental health in survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2024, 16 (1), 63-71.
Chen, Y., Kim, E.S., & Vanderweele, T.J. Religious-service attendance and subsequent health and well-being throughout adulthood: Evidence from three prospective cohorts. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2020, 49(6), 2030-2040, https://doi: 10. 1093/ije/dyaa120.
Chen, Y., Koh, H.K., Kawachi, I., Botticelli, M., & Vanderweele, T.J. Religious service attendance and deaths related to drugs, alcohol, and suicide among US health care professionals. JAMA Psychiatry, 2020, 77(7), 1-9.
Guo, J., Wang, J., Dove, A., Bennett, D.A., & Xu, W. Psychological well-being trajectories preceding incident mild cognitive impairment and dementia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2024; 0: 1-7, doi:10.1136/ jnnp-2024-333837.
Matos, L., Park, C.L., Indart, M.J., & Leal, I. “It’s the God Factor”: A qualitative study of Syrian Muslims’ postwar religious meaning-making. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality,2024, 16 (2), 163-172.