How do you measure happiness? More importantly, how do you measure the happiness of the youth population; the amount of credit cards lodged in their wallet? The amount of friends one has? And how do you know for sure if you are truly happy? Sometimes happiness can be mistaken as materialism – not surprisingly if you’re young, happiness and materialism are in arms length of each other.

A recent study released said white youth are happier than other youth ethnic groups.

Take away all the typical factors that normally makes the average person happy: friends, family, money, material objects, and just focus on your own individualism – how many would say they were “happy”.

One thousand and twenty-eight people between the ages of 13-24 took the survey. Out of that number 75% of white youth, 51% of Hispanics youth, and 56% of African America said they are generally happy with their lives at present.

The reason for such low positive results for the Hispanics and African American youth could have a lot of factors (one being the fact that they only polled 1,028 people), long lasting culture conflicts that have weighted heavily on both ethic groups. Such as racism in the everyday world that would get anybody feeling pretty horrible about themselves. But, also when you’re a teenager between the ages of 13-24 it isn’t surprising to think everything about life can make you feel a little down. Your brain, your body, and your strange chemical reactions are growing and changing. It isn’t surprising that most of teenagers at one time or another might think, “Everything sucks”.

Between materialism, the stresses of the world and chemicals shoots in and around the brain—pure happiness is hard to come by.
—Eming Piansay