The diapered and affable Baby New Year?s grin used to be a sign for celebration. The innocent image has now become one of dread for many Boomers as they search for equilibrium in their lives yet realize, ?another year gone, where did the time go, what did I accomplish, and am I happy??
LEHIGH VALLEY, PA, December 19, 2005 -- What role does health play in achieving equilibrium in our lives? And, how many of us are truly happy and healthy compared to a decade ago? A recent study conducted by the organization company, Day-Timer, asks these and many other questions, and compares the answers to its 1994 Time in America Study. A decade later, these findings provide some interesting, yet ominous insights.
How?s our health?
Fifty-one percent of working Americans said they had very good or excellent health in 1994. Today that number drops to 41 percent ? a staggering 20-percent decline.
The overwhelming majority has at least two health-related goals, including losing weight and becoming more fit; however, only 20 percent are achieving those goals. Forty-four percent point to ?difficulty sticking with it? and 39 percent state they ?can?t find the time? to achieve their health-related goals.
Anxiety and Depression
Polling 1000 working Americans, the survey revealed that 18 percent admitted to being diagnosed or treated for depression in the last five years. Thirteen percent admitted to being diagnosed or treated for anxiety in the last five years. Of those respondents, nine percent admitted to having been diagnosed or treated for BOTH anxiety and depression.
?Depression is at an all-time high,? says Jeffrey L. Johnson, PhD, a former advertising executive and successful psychologist currently working on a book titled, The Hourglass Effect: Options for the Second Half of Your Life. ?The meteoric rise in depression across all age groups is well documented,? Dr. Johnson says. Will the pacesetting Boomers set the pace for depression as well?
Are we happier today than 10 years ago?
According to this study, the number of working Americans who reported being very happy dropped from 54 percent ten years ago to less than half (47 percent) today.
?Boomers have grown up in an era of high and growing expectations where each generation expects more than the previous one,? says Dr. Johnson. ?Many experts have pointed out that financial success does not necessarily lead to happiness,? Johnson states. ?The belief that more money and more goods will make us happier is likely to result in the opposite. Boomers? out-of-control consumerism may boomerang later in life.?
Are we leading successful lives and getting things done?
Nearly half (40 percent) of workers said they were very or extremely successful in 1994, a number that plummeted to less than one-third (28 percent) today?a 30- percent decline. In 1994, 63 percent of American workers said they were very productive, versus only 41 percent today?a a 35-percent decline.
?More than any other generation, Boomers have blurred the line between needs and wants. Ultimately, it?s not their high expectations that present the problem. It is the ominous possibility that Boomers may not be able to simultaneously achieve financial success, high self-esteem, personal growth and fulfillment,? says Dr. Johnson.
Research methodology available upon request.
Day-Timer
In business since 1947, Day-Timer has evolved into a company offering hundreds of organization tools that simplify the lives of consumers at work, home, school, and on the go. Day-Timer is a division of ACCO Brands.
About Dr. Jeffrey L. Johnson
Dr. Johnson received his BBA in Psychology from Williams College and his MA and PhD
in Psychology from New York University. He worked as a Psychologist for the New York City Department for the Aging and the New York State Office for the Aging. He conducted research at the Alice Brophy Third Age Center and taught graduate level psychology at Fordham University.
