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U.S. Midlife Mental Health Declines, Europe Improves

6/17/2026

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Story summary
  • Middle-aged Americans now show higher loneliness, depression and memory loss than peers, while many European nations report improving midlife well-being.
  • Psychologist Frank J. Infurna and colleagues published a Current Directions in Psychological Science analysis of 17-country surveys documenting the divergence.
  • The authors attribute U.S. declines to flat childcare, parental-leave support, higher out-of-pocket health costs, rising income inequality and geographic mobility, whereas Europe has increased family-benefit spending since the early 2000s.