A crisis of crises.

Anxiety. Angst. Anger. Depression. Distraction. Loneliness. Frustration. Fear. Hopelessness. Meaningless.

What we have is a crisis of meaning.

Numbers don’t lie

Despite having more opportunities than any generation in history, young adults are more anxious, depressed, and directionless than ever.

    • 16.8% of adults aged 18-25 experienced major depression in 2021—the highest rate of any age group

    • Depression increased 63% among young adults from 2009 to 2017

    • 75% of adults aged 25-33 have experienced a quarter-life crisis

    • Only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged at work—down from 23% in 2023

    • 75% of college students with mental health conditions have experienced an on-campus crisis

    • Over 70% of executives experience imposter syndrome despite success

    • Up to 35% of elite athletes face mental health crises at peak achievement

    • Mental health costs represent up to 4% of GDP across developed nations

    • Heavy social media users are twice as likely to be depressed compared to non-users

    • Average attention span dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in just 15 years

    • 24% of TikTok users qualify as addicted based on diagnostic criteria

    • Social isolation now affects 25% of adults over 65 and growing numbers of young people

Here's what the science shows about how humans best thrive:

    • Humans uniquely possess "shared intentionality"—the ability to work toward common goals

    • Brain imaging shows cooperation activates reward centers while competition requires extra cognitive effort

    • Our oversized social brains evolved specifically for group coordination and mutual aid

    • Prosocial behavior releases oxytocin and dopamine—nature's reward for cooperation

    • People who help others show 30% reduced mortality risk during stressful periods

    • Volunteers have stronger immune systems and lower inflammation markers

    • This isn't just feel-good philosophy—it's measurable biology

    • High purpose in life provides 2.4 times lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

    • Japanese research shows strong ikigai reduces all-cause mortality by 15%

    • Meta-analysis of 136,265 participants found 17% reduced cardiovascular risk among those with higher purpose

    • Social isolation carries mortality risk equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes daily

This isn't about finding your passion or following your dreams.

It's about conscious reorientation.

The crisis isn't that people lack meaning—it's that they're unconsciously creating maladaptive meaning using broken cultural inputs. Everyone is making sense of their lives all the time, but most people are:

  • Following someone else's definition of success

  • Chasing extractive goals that benefit only themselves

  • Creating significance through competition and status rather than contribution

  • Building coherence around ideologies rather than evidence