Quote from: Knarf on Mar 31, 2024, 07:33 AMA related question that could be pondered is it's opposite, or what makes us unhappy, especially in 2024 which factors seem to be increasing, causing increased unhappiness.

And the definitions of those factors, be they "unhappy" or "happy". To some, food on table twice a day is a happy factor. To others, eating out twice a day at nice restaurants is happy, bologna sandwichs unthinkable, and if the personal chef doesn't show up at least twice a week, they are miserable.
Relative terms make the measurements sketchy without a bunch of definitions and explanations in advance of the question, and that is before screening out natural bias, or physical bias, or socio-economic bias.

Quote from: KnarfThere is a significant amount of economic uncertainty and financial instability, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased homelessness, going further into debt, and fear of not having a sustainable life.

Or fear of not sustainable their once "fine" life. Times of change, regardless of why, generate uncertainty among the populace, and no one likes change. People suffer fear of the unknown no different than the cavemen did. There is some innate stuff right there.

Quote from: KnarfThere is a large increase in social isolation and loneliness, which have been exacerbated by the shift towards remote work and social distancing measures. K-Dog has nailed this one down.
There is constant political polarization and increasing civil unrest, that create feelings of anxiety, fear, and division. This makes any "future" for us very suspect.
Then there is environmental concerns, such as the climate crisis and natural disasters, which can lead to feelings of helplessness and despair, because it is causing such major issues with all of life's sustainable aspects. See Maslow's pyramid of human necessities for happiness. Food and shelter being first.

There is certainly change in the air. Concerns. And I agree with Maslow! The food part of those necessities was occasionally dodgy when I was young, never thought of it as unhappy though? More like....desperate? Hungry...which taught its own lessons, mostly had a roof over my head though except with I was homeless for about 4 months once. But that was more of a plan, rather than some weird combination of circumstances that just landed me on the street.

Quote from: KnarfWhich brings us to unhappiness which makes us unhappy, or mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, which affects anyone regardless of their circumstances.

As resource depletion continues at a rapid pace, the general atmosphere of living for the majority of humanity is very uncertain. The volatility index is very high.

All of which is true. But another dynamic, particularly on this website, is we all appear to be old. And I never hear about fears discussed in terms of fears for our children? We aren't a sample size of much of anything representative of the world nowadays maybe? Raised in different eras, with different fears, and some of us with obvious predilections and irritations because "I want my end times and I want them now!" has been a mantra going back into the last century.