Why Millennials and Gen-Xers Are Addicted to Self-Improvement
According to various studies, the millennial generation is far more complicated than its predecessors and successors. For starters, they’re the first generation to have been raised with the internet, computers, social media, and smartphones.
However, unlike Gen-Xers, they experienced the most actively-used technologies in their infancy as well as their prime. From dial-up modems, VHS tapes, Blockbuster, flip phones, and Nintendo to iPhones, Netflix, and 5G technology, they’ve seen it all.
Moreover, since Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, they’re still relatively young enough to explore and adopt new technologies, practices, and development changes compared to baby boomers.
They’re also considered the most educated and hardworking generation since they grew up during the Great Recession. During this period, higher education and continuous self-improvement became essential to help them acquire the skills and competencies required to survive and succeed in the modern world.
Due to these factors, personal development has been at the center of a typical millennial lifestyle from a young age. Therefore, most individuals from this generation are incredibly self-conscious and highly addicted to self-improvement.
However, there’s much more to this behavioral trend than technological advancements and recessions.
In this post, we’ll share why Millennials are actively looking for self-improvement hacks to unlock new capabilities and improve their professional and personal lives.
7 Reasons Millennials are Always Looking for Self-Improvement Hacks
1. New Ideals
One of the key differences between Millennials and the older generations is their ideals. The ‘80s and ‘90s were the most important decades for infrastructure and social development. With the commercialization of the internet and the influx of new tech devices and social media platforms, cultures became more widespread.
With so many rapid cultural and social changes, Millennials have remained in constant transition, adapting to new norms, practices, and solutions. By definition, self-improvement is the process of consciously developing new skills, qualities, habits, and attributes.
However, in the past, self-improvement was perceived negatively. Most people thought the need for improvement was a sign of weakness or dissatisfaction. As the practice became more widespread due to products and services related to health, fitness, education, IT, etc., people started perceiving it positively.
Over time, personal development was no longer about overcoming dissatisfaction but about finding the best version of yourself physically, intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally.
2. The Golden Age of Materialism and Consumerism
The millennial generation has grown up in a period where goods and services became more available and much less expensive. Moreover, since the early 2000s, they’ve had the luxury of endless choices in terms of food, clothes, cellphones, entertainment, and lifestyles.
On the surface, the abundance of options has helped this generation find and pursue different goals and lifestyles. However, it has also developed the urge to over-consume, which defeats the purpose of self-improvement. This is because an overdose of self-improvement hacks leads to depression, dissatisfaction, and other health issues.
From overhyped beauty standards to new work competencies, the growing addiction to personal development is leading to a chronic loss of focus and productivity. This is where Gen-Xers stand out. Their independent, autonomous, and informal nature makes them more satisfied with who they are and their capabilities.
Meanwhile, many Millennials believe they’re not good enough, which is why they look for improvements subconsciously.
3. A Mountain of Expectations
Another important reason Millennials are addicted to self-improved is their perception of reality and when it comes to managing expectations. This generation is known for being idealistic. Therefore, they set a mountain of expectations to meet due to peer or societal pressure, whether it’s in their education or career.
In highly competitive environments, they criticize themselves regularly and often feel inferior to others, especially successful members of the older generations. In extreme cases, they develop unrealistic expectations that lead them to prolonged periods of self-criticism.
Moreover, their hunt for self-improvement hacks turns into an unhealthy obsession that can affect their performance, relationships, and overall well-being.
4. Inequality of Wealth
One of the biggest drivers of self-improvement is the lack of wealth. Baby Boomers are considered the wealthiest generations in terms of buying power. They grew up during a period of economic prosperity, more job opportunities, less competition, and stronger economies. As a result, a single person was able to provide for their families, buy homes, and pay for higher education with ease.
In the modern age, housing prices have increased by over 500%. Inflation is at its highest. There’s far more competition in the job market, and pays have remained relatively the same. As a result, Millennials have had to work harder and still find themselves unable to afford most things the previous generations were able to with relative ease.
Moreover, most Millennials are accurately aware that they’re behind Baby Boomers and older generations. Depending on the culture and society, they’re more likely to be compared with the previous generations in terms of their achievements.
As a consequence, they chase self-improvement to put them in a better financial position to fulfill their basic and additional desires. However, this obsession is mainly positive as they’re not the ones responsible for the changing landscape. They just want to have the same things their older counterparts have.
5. Reputation Enhancement
According to research, Millennials are far more educated than Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers. At the same time, they owe the most amount of student debt and have to compete with younger, tech-savvier professionals. As a result, they find themselves in a tough spot, struggling to make ends meet and fulfilling their dreams.
Some of also gone down the wrong path and mustered a negative reputation. As a result, the entire generation is looking to establish and maintain a good professional and personal reputation. With self-improvement hacks, they aim to disprove different stereotypes and gain approval from their older and younger counterparts.
While older generations continue to run businesses and younger generations turn their hobbies into careers, the majority of Millennials stick to the 9-5 life. Depending on their circumstances, they feel envious and defeated.
As a result, they feel motivated to overcome their insecurities and improve their lives
6. Increased Physical Health
According to Healthline, Millennials are the most obese generation, with over fifty percent of the global population on the higher end of the body mass index. This is mostly due to the rise and domination of the fast food culture in the late ‘80s and ‘90s.
As a result, the millennial generation grew up consuming far more unhealthy food and drinks from popular chains, such as McDonald’s, Domino’s, Subway, and Starbucks, to name a few. Moreover, due to longer work hours, inflation, and increased pace of life, cooking at home gradually declined. Hence, more people started relying on takeout and deliveries as they offered more convenience.
However, the entire generation now comprises adults of ages 25 and above who are more health-conscious than when they were younger. This is due to several reasons, such as influence from the younger generation and their eating habits, an increase in obesity-related diseases and deaths, and increased awareness related to health and balanced diets.
Therefore, one of the most important self-improvement hacks people are looking for are those related to weight loss, fitness, and diets. Moreover, since the start of COVID-19, there has been a significant change in millennial food habits, with millions tweaking their regular diets and incorporating healthier items and more cooking into their routines.
7. A Better Work-Life Balance
Finally, the last and perhaps, most important reason Millennials are addicted to self-improvement is that they’re constantly looking for ways to work less and do more. According to a study by the American Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials get less sleep and rest compared to their older and younger counterparts.
Why?
Well, the older generations had a better work-life balance since they didn’t have to rely on multiple jobs to survive or have too many obligations to meet in 24 hours. Similarly, Gen-Xers are more health-conscious than their counterparts, so they’re less likely to miss out on shut-eye and typically set their routines accordingly.
Millennials average around seven hours of sleep in 24 hours and work more hours in a day than their counterparts. Therefore, the purpose of personal development here is to improve their work-life balance and overall well-being.
With better capabilities and competencies, they can take on more valuable roles and responsibilities to earn more money and become less reliant on other sources of income.
Wrapping Up
We live in an age where it’s about the survival of the fittest. Therefore, employing different self-improvement hacks and solutions to improve your capabilities and physical, mental, and emotional well-being is no longer just an important conscious decision but a crucial one.
However, making self-improvement an addiction is counter-productive. Personal development is about unlocking your full potential, not torturing yourself constantly about your shortcomings and failures. Whether you’re looking to improve your finances, learn new skills, or lose weight, focus on the journey, not the destination.
