Millennials really are different; they're too much focused on work, according to new research, and they're pessimistic, too.
The Harvard Business Review reported that "millennials are obsessed with their jobs, socialize with friends less often than many older folks assume, and don't seem to set much store in developing a spiritual life."
That determination arose out of the application of big data to the results of a previous study by New York City-based social technology company Happify, which had found that people in their twenties and early thirties are in a relatively negative state of mind — suffering a sharp increase in ongoing stress, characterized by the most negative thoughts and the least positive emotions, compared to other age groups.
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When Happify users were asked in a study to record "three things that happened today or yesterday that made you feel grateful," across all ages, the most common topics were related to "spending quality time with family and friends." However, the topics for which millennials expressed the most gratitude were "positive interactions with colleagues," "having a low-stress commute," "getting a new job," "being satisfied with an existing job," "sleeping," and "relaxing in bed."
Millennials were far less likely than other respondents to choose either "religious events," a positive event that happened at church or a church event like singing in the choir, and "friends and family," a topic that was among the most common for users of other ages.
When it came to long-term goals, the same pattern held. Millennials were more likely to talk about work, mentioning finding a new job with better benefits, more pay, better hours, and more work-life balance, as well as work that was more intrinsically rewarding. They are the group with the lowest interest in goals related to faith and worship.
For short-term goals, again the theme was familiar. Millennials' top choices were "do things from my to-do list," "apply for a job," "get out of my comfort zone," and "stop worrying."
The millennial mind, the study concludes, is mainly occupied with landing the perfect job and is subject to a good deal of stress and anxiety. Millennials are far more focused on reducing their stress levels and pursuing work goals (although they do work out and spend time relaxing as a means of coping with that stress), and are the least occupied of all the generations with religious or spiritual concepts.
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