What’s an emotional recession? Like an economic recession, which reflects a significant drop in economic activity across an economy, an emotional recession is a sustained period of emotional depletion. During this time, individuals experience reduced emotional wellbeing, decreased motivation and empathy, and a lower capacity to cope with daily stressors. This results in a significant downturn in mental health and social engagement across a community or society.
Unfortunately, this is the reality we’re facing in 2024.
Emotional intelligence and wellbeing scores have declined for four consecutive years. “On average,” Six Seconds CEO Joshua Freedman says, “people are more volatile; less likely to be able to navigate emotions. They’re less likely to feel connected to empathy, or a bigger sense of purpose. They’re less likely to be able to accurately understand and label the feelings they’re experiencing – a crucial foundation for mental and emotional health.”
The good news is that emotional skills are measurable and learnable. Plus the declines are not evenly distributed among subgroups, and some have started to increase. That shows a path forward.
Content from https://www.6seconds.org/emotional-intelligence/research/
