July 14, 2021
According to Gallup, the share of Americans who perceive themselves to be “thriving” is 59.2% — the highest level recorded during 13 years of ongoing measurement. Americans are classified as “thriving,” “struggling” or “suffering” according to how they rate their current and future lives.
Gallup said significant daily worry and stress have dropped to pre-Covid levels. Daily enjoyment has improved. Boredom has been reduced. Life satisfaction ratings have fully recovered and now exceed 2019 levels. That is a tremendous change compared to last year, when the percentage of “thriving” Americans declined to 46.4%, tying the record low measured in the Great Recession.
On the surface, it would be easy to attribute last year’s low “thriving” level to the pandemic and this year’s high level to recovery from the pandemic. But these levels, as well as the pandemic itself, are manifestations of social mood. The May 2009 issue of The Socionomist showed that negative social mood tends to elevate epidemic risk. When Covid-19 broke out in China, its Shanghai Composite index was almost 50% below its all-time high.
Negatively trending mood caused the Dow to plunge in March 2020. It also made Americans more susceptible to Covid-19 and reduced their perception of “thriving” at the time that Gallup surveyed them. A shift back to positive mood has fueled record levels in the Dow and record perceptions of “thriving” among Americans.
To learn more about the influence of social mood on perceptions, read “The Wave Principle Delineates Phases of Social Caution and Ebullience.”
If you look closely, you can see patterns in social mood that help you predict social trends. Learn more with the Socionomics Premier Membership.
The Socionomist enables you to see trend-shaping waves of social mood, as reflected by the stock market — and capitalize on them. The June issue looks at phases of social mood and features a “Research Roundup,” which highlights five academic studies that shine a light on important aspects of socionomic theory. Mood Riffs topics include “quiet luxury,” loneliness, the Writers Guild strike and efforts by countries to trade in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Read the June issue when you become a Socionomics Premier Member.
