Announcements

Arlington, VA – Sapien Labs today released a new report examining the relationship between consuming food and drink from plastic containers and mind health. Prompted by recent discoveries of microplastics in the human brain, this analysis draws on data from 273,735 people across 130 countries as part of the Global Mind Project.

Key findings:

• Frequent plastic use is linked to lower mind health. Those who ate or drank from plastic containers daily had average Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) scores 25 points lower than those who rarely or never did.
• The effect persists regardless of diet. The decline in mind health held true even for individuals with low or no ultra-processed food consumption.
• The impact is broad and global. Regularly consuming food or drink from plastic containers showed a broad, diffuse effect across all mental capacities.
• Plastic use is widespread, especially among younger people. Nearly half of adults worldwide eat hot food from plastic containers at least weekly, with rates highest in East and South-East Asia, followed by North America and Western Europe.

“Finding microplastics in the brain raises real questions about what they’re doing to our mental capacities,” said Tara Thiagarajan, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientist of Sapien Labs. “Our data show that eating and drinking from plastic containers may have a diffuse, detrimental impact across all areas of mind health. With so many people worldwide eating hot food from plastic every week, this could be a significant hidden contributor to declining mind health.”

About the study:
This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function. The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here. The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

Rapid Report : Eating from Plastic Containers Is Associated with Diminished Mind Health and Wellbeing

Español: Comer de recipientes plásticos se asocia a un deterioro en salud mental y bienestar

Associated Data Tables

Arlington, VA – We are pleased to share that findings from the Sapien Labs Global Mind Project have been featured in the 2025 United Nations Human Development Report, A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI.

Released this week by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the report explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping human development and emphasizes the importance of expanding people’s choices and freedoms in this new era.

Our data is featured in Spotlight 3.1, which examines the global decline in young people’s mental wellbeing, a marked shift from long-established wellbeing patterns observed in previous decades.

Drawing on Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) data from more than 100,000 people across 70 countries, our findings show a striking association between the age someone acquires their first smartphone in childhood and their subsequent mental wellbeing in young adulthood. 

Key data highlights featured in the report include:

• 45% of young adults (ages 18–24) globally experience clinically significant mental distress that affects their daily functioning.
• While mental wellbeing tends to increase with age, young people consistently report the lowest levels of wellbeing across all world regions.
• Young adults who received their first smartphone before age 13 show significantly poorer mental wellbeing, especially in areas such as social self and mood and outlook, with young women most severely affected. 

We are proud that our work is contributing to this critical global conversation and helping shape policies to safeguard wellbeing and human development in the digital age. To explore the full report, visit: https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025

Arlington, VA – Sapien Labs is proud to introduce Samuh, a pioneering venture dedicated to redefining high performance in organizations through the science of mind health.

Co-founded by Sapien Labs, along with Rahul Varma, former CHRO of Accenture Technology, and Calina Mircea, an experienced leadership coach, Samuh blends cutting-edge insights on human performance with the craft of talent management and the timeless wisdom of rituals to elevate wellbeing and performance.

In today’s workplace, where burnout and disengagement diminish productivity, Samuh offers a fundamentally different approach—shifting from short-term, individual fixes to fostering sustained, collective performance. It draws on Sapien Labs’ breakthrough mind health measurement tools and globally recognized research on the complex relationship between work culture, mental wellbeing, and performance.

Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, Founder of Sapien Labs said, “Samuh brings an innovative approach that leverages Sapien Labs tools and research into what drives the wellbeing and capability of the human mind, and how people are able to come together in a way that is greater than the sum of the parts.”

The name Samuh, derived from Sanskrit, means “a group of people coming together for a larger purpose”—a reflection of its focus on teams and vision to create sustainable performance at scale.

“Samuh is about reconnecting with the fundamental conditions that drive performance—by embedding rituals within the flow of team work and leveraging scientifically validated tools to sustain measurable results,” said Rahul Varma, Co-founder and CEO of Samuh.

With Samuh, organizations will gain the science-backed tools and strategies needed to cultivate performance that is not just exceptional, but enduring—creating workplaces where people thrive, collectively and consistently.

Media and Enquiries: callyn@sapienlabs.org  

Website: https://samuh.work/

Arlington VA –  Today, Sapien Labs released its Mental State of the World Report for 2024 at the Lake Nona Impact Forum, highlighting the sharp decline in the mind health and wellbeing of each younger generation, and no sign of recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5th annual report of the Global Mind Project, it draws from comprehensive profiles of the mind health and wellbeing of over 1 million internet-enabled participants across 82 countries obtained in 2023 and 2024.  It uses the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), a measure of mind health and wellbeing which is defined as the ability to navigate life’s challenges and function productively.

Key Findings from the Report:

• There has been no improvement in global mind health and wellbeing since the pandemic, when younger generations declined substantially.
• Each successively younger generation continues to have diminished mind health and wellbeing.
• Older adults (55+) report stable or positive mind health and wellbeing, with an average MHQ of 101 across 82 countries, where 100 is the expected norm of a healthy functioning population.
• MHQ scores of younger adults (18-34) average 38 across the globe, with those in Sub-Saharan African countries faring best. 41% experience functionally debilitating distress.
• Younger generations face increasing challenges with cognitive and social functions, such as planning and focus, emotional regulation, and social interactions, at rates 4-5 times higher than older adults.
• Smartphone use, social disconnection, ultra-processed food consumption, and environmental toxins are identified as major contributors to declining mind health and wellbeing in younger populations.

About the Global Mind Project: 

The Global Mind Project, is a large-scale ongoing survey of global mind health and wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs to identify trends and key drivers. The project acquires data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mind health and wellbeing score (the MHQ), as well as scores across various dimensions of mental function. The assessment can be taken here. Data from the Global Mind Project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purposes and access can be requested here.  

Supporting Materials:

5th Annual Mental State of the World Report

Associated Data Tables

Data Graphs

Arlington, VA – Today, Sapien Labs released a new report that does a deep dive into the causes of increasing suicides and violence among adolescents, as reported by the CDC and National Mental Health statistics in India. The report is based on data from 10,475 adolescents in the US and India as part of the Global Mind Project. Here are the key findings:

• There is a generational decline in mind health and wellbeing that extends into adolescence. Adolescents aged 13–17 fare worse than young adults aged 18-24 who in turn fare worse than those aged 25-34, and so on. The trend is particularly pronounced in girls, where 65% are distressed or struggling in a manner that substantially impairs their ability to function effectively in the world and would be of clinical concern.
• The dominant problems in 13–17-year-olds extend beyond sadness and anxiety. They include unwanted, strange thoughts and a sense of being detached from reality, while the problems that are increasing fastest with each younger age group are feelings of aggression towards others, anger & irritability and hallucinations.
• Rapidly increasing problems of aggression and anger & irritability can in a large part be attributed to the increasingly younger age at which children are now getting a smartphone.

“Swift action is needed to safeguard younger generations from a future marked by increased anger, aggression, and violence. While managing access to inappropriate content and limiting screen time remain challenging, we urge parents at the very least to delay giving their child a smartphone until at least 8th grade or age 13 so as to give them more time to develop healthier social skills and reduce tendencies for anger and aggression,” said Tara Thiagarajan, Founder and Chief Scientist of Sapien Labs.

About the study:
This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function. The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here. The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

Rapid Report – The Youth Mind: Rising Aggression and Anger

Associated Data Tables

High Resolution Images of the Graphs

Arlington, VA  – Today, Sapien Labs released a rapid report looking at multiple aspects of work culture and structure to determine how they relate to employee mental wellbeing. The findings are based on data from 54,831 employed, Internet-enabled respondents across 65 countries obtained in 2024 as part of the Global Mind Project. Here are the key findings:

• Having poor relationships with colleagues and a low sense of pride and purpose in one’s work are associated with the biggest decreases in overall mental wellbeing, on par with having challenges with family relationships.
• Those who rated these factors poorly are more likely to have feelings of sadness and hopelessness, unwanted, strange thoughts, reduced energy, decreased drive and motivation, physical health issues and a sense of being detached from reality, even after controlling for other factors.
• ‘Work-life balance’ factors such as workload and flexibility over time are also important, but less so. Excess workload, for instance, results in poor sleep, diminished self-worth, worse appetite regulation and even increased nightmares, while lack of flexibility over time had much smaller impacts on similar factors.
• Those working remotely fared worse, on average, than those working in person or hybrid. Similarly, those working alone fared worse, on average, than those in larger teams, and those in jobs involving customer service and physical labor fared worse than those in human care, knowledge work and business management jobs.
• The 9 aspects of work culture that we looked at had a several-fold greater impact on mental wellbeing than aspects of work structure, such as whether one worked remotely or in person, alone or in a team and the type of job.

“We’ve been conditioned to think that there is a separation between our work and life, implicit in the term work-life balance. Instead, what we find here is that our work life is every bit as personal as our home or family life. The relationships and meaning we find – or fail to find – at work are every bit as important to our mental wellbeing as our relationships at home,” says Sapien Labs Founder and Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan.

About the study: 

This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function.  The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here.  The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

Rapid Report: Work Culture & Mental Wellbeing

Associated Data Tables

High Resolution Images of Graphs

Washington, D.C. – Today, Sapien Labs released a rapid report examining the extent to which people feel love for others (i.e. family, friends, community), how this relates to their mental wellbeing, and how this is influenced by their level of spirituality and active religious practice. The findings are based on data from 239,692 internet-enabled respondents across 65 countries, obtained between January 2023 and February 2024 as part of the Global Mind Project. 

Key findings from the report:

• Those who are spiritual love and care for the wellbeing of a wider circle of people, while those who are atheist are five times more likely to love no-one.
• The increase in mental wellbeing gained through spirituality arises through the increase in one’s feelings of love and care for others, and spirituality without love and care for others does not have mental wellbeing benefits.
• Active religious practice is associated with a higher likelihood of spirituality and love for others, regardless of religious affiliation.
• More religious regions of the world have greater love for others led by Latin America, South-East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Europe and Oceania have the least love for others with United Kingdom and Germany having the lowest among all countries from which data was collected.

“Spirituality and active religious practice appear to enhance your mental wellbeing by expanding the love you feel for others. And while one can come to love and care for the wellbeing of others by various paths, active religious practice is a relatively reliable one, but is by no means a guarantee,” says Sapien Labs Founder and Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan.

About the study: 

This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function.  The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here.  The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

Rapid Report: Mental Wellbeing, Religion and the Love You Give

Associated Data Tables

High Resolution Images of Graphs

Washington, D.C. – Today, Sapien Labs released its 4th Annual Mental State of the World Report, a global study which looks at trends and insights in the mental wellbeing of 419,175 Internet-enabled participants across 71 countries. The key trend from this year’s data is that the dramatic decline in mental wellbeing that occurred between 2019 and 2020, and continued into 2021 through the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to persist with no sign of recovery.

Other highlights from the report:

• Younger generations, particularly those under age 35, saw the steepest declines in mental wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic while those over 65 stayed steady.
• Two key findings published in Rapid Reports in 2023 show that younger age of first smartphone ownership and ultra-processed food consumption are two major contributors to our mental health challenges
• As in previous years, several African and Latin American countries topped the country rankings, while wealthier countries of the Core Anglosphere such as the United Kingdom and Australia are towards the bottom. 

“The insights in this report paint a worrying post-pandemic picture and highlight the urgent need to better understand the drivers of our collective mental wellbeing,” says Sapien Labs Founder and Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan.

About the study: 

This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function.  The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here.  The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

4th Annual Mental State of the World Report

Associated Data Tables and Statistics

High Resolution Images of Graphs

Washington, D.C. – Sapien Labs is pleased to announce that it was awarded a multi-year grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as part of its Global Health Initiative (GHI) to further investigate the root causes of the youth mental health crisis.

Washington, D.C.– A global study of ~300,00 participants out today from Sapien Lab looks at the self-reported frequency of ultra-processed food consumption and its relationship to the full breadth of mental health symptoms and aggregate mental wellbeing. These are the key findings:

Washington, D.C.– A global study of 27,969 young adults out today from Sapien Labs is showing that the age at which they received their first smartphone or tablet strongly correlates with their mental health status in young adulthood. These are the key findings:

– The later the age at which these young adults first got a phone or tablet that they could carry with them in childhood, the better their mental wellbeing as adults. In particular, the dimension of mental wellbeing most improved was the Social Self, an aggregate measure of various elements such as self-confidence and the ability to relate positively to others.

– Conversely, those who got their first phone at a younger age were more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, feelings of aggression towards others and a sense of being detached from reality. These trends were stronger in females than males and consistent across all regions of the world sampled including the Core Anglosphere & W. Europe, Latin America, South Asia and Africa.

Altogether the study’s findings indicate potential long-term risks associated with giving a child a smartphone or tablet at a young age that parents, school administrators and policy makers should be aware of.

“These findings suggest that there are long term improvements in mental wellbeing for each year of delay in getting a smartphone during childhood” said Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan. “It’s important that we continue to study this relationship and work to develop effective policies and interventions that can support healthy mental development in the digital age to reverse the declining trends we have been tracking.”

About the study: 

This study is part of the Global Mind Project, an ongoing survey of global mental wellbeing, conducted by Sapien Labs. The project acquired data through an assessment that queries 47 aspects of mental function on a life impact scale to create an aggregate mental wellbeing score, the Mental Health Quotient or MHQ, as well as scores of various dimensions of mental function.  The assessment can be taken here. In addition, the data from this project is freely available to researchers for noncommercial purpose and access can be requested here.  The Global Mind Project also publishes the annual Mental State of the World Report which can be found here.

Supporting materials:

Report: Age of First Smartphone/Tablet and Mental Wellbeing Outcomes in Adulthood

Associated Data Tables and Statistics

High Resolution Images of Graphs

Washington, D.C. – Sapien Labs, a non-profit research organization focused on understanding the brain and addressing mental health issues through data, is pleased to announce the addition of Randall Winn to its Board of Directors. 

Winn is the Managing Partner at 22C, a private investment firm delivering equity capital, strategic guidance, tactical mentorship and operational resources to data/information companies. He was also the co-founder and long-time CEO of Capital IQ. Currently, Winn serves in a Board role at ZoomInfo, Aurora Energy Research, LMI, and Canoe Software. He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. 

“As a father of three kids, I have been deeply concerned by the degradation in mental health over the past years, particularly among teens. Given my background and “day job” of building data and analytics businesses, the lack of data about this trend was deeply unsatisfying.  After meeting Dr. Tara Thiagarajan and the Sapien Labs Team and seeing the work they have done, I wanted to join the effort to shine a light on the causes of this issue and bring my experience to try to make an impact,” said Winn.

Sapien Labs founder and Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan shared that “Randy brings a wealth of experience and expertise in data and analytics across various end markets, including healthcare. We are truly excited to have him join our mission.”

“Randy is the perfect mix of entrepreneurial zeal and highly relevant hands-on knowledge to help realize our mission to identify root causes and to reverse the trends we are documenting with our scaled global data,” added Sapien Labs Board Member Rob Carter.

About Sapien Labs

Sapien Labs is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization founded in 2016 with a mission to understand and enable the human mind. Sapien Labs is based in the Washington DC area with a globally distributed team across four continents. Visit our website to learn more.

Contact:

Callyn Giese
callyn@sapienlabs.org

Washington D.C. – Non-profit research organization Sapien Labs has released its Mental State of the World Report 2022, the largest global survey and database of comprehensive mental health and wellbeing profiles in the world. Drawing on insights from 407,959 respondents across 64 countries in 2022, the MSW report describes global trends across the past three years to provide a view of how the mental wellbeing of the world fared in 2022 relative to the pandemic years. Additionally, this year’s report focused on global trends in the state of family relationships and friendships and their impact on mental wellbeing, particularly with respect to young adults. 

The Mental State of the World Report utilizes the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), an open online anonymous survey that takes 15 minutes to complete and returns overall wellbeing scores on a positive-negative scale. Respondents span a wide range of demographic groups in the Core Anglosphere, Continental Europe, Latin America, West and North Africa with translations in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese (European and Brazilian), German, Swahili and Hindi.

Click here to read the report.

Washington, D.C. – Sapien Labs is pleased to announce that Rahul Varma, former Chief Talent Officer for Accenture Technology, will be joining its Board of Directors. Rahul brings deep expertise and perspective to guide the strategy and approach of our workplace mental health initiatives.
Rahul is a global Human Resources leader, speaker and thought leader whose career has been dedicated to helping people thrive at work and make a positive impact on businesses and society.  He has led large, globally distributed workforces and complex organizational transformations. Most recently, Rahul was the Chief Talent Officer for Accenture Technology, leading HR for Accenture’s largest business that employs over 375,000 people.

Rahul has served on the boards of Covenant House International, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating youth homelessness and Madura Microfinance, which provided microloans across rural India. He holds a master’s degree in Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (Pune, India) and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Delhi.

“I have come to realize that we need to evolve our current systems and structures, within organizations and more broadly in society, for people to lead lives that are physically healthy, intellectually energizing, emotionally fulfilling, and fundamentally aligned to their individual purpose. I seek to create solutions for better ways to work and live by fusing the latest understanding from modern science with enduring wisdom. Sapien Labs is doing profoundly important work in bringing the richest and most comprehensive data to inform the state of human wellbeing around the world and its drivers that I believe can provide direction in fulfilling this goal,” said Varma.

Sapien Labs founder and Chief Scientist Tara Thiagarajan shared, “I am delighted to have Rahul join the Sapien Labs board. His authentic commitment to helping people thrive at work and in life coupled with deep and multifaceted organizational expertise and global perspective will be of tremendous value for our mission.”

About Sapien Labs

Sapien Labs is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization founded in 2016 with a mission to understand and enable the human mind. Our mission is motivated by:

• The curiosity of us all to understand ourselves and our similarities and differences.
• An imperative to understand the impact and consequences of our changing environment and technology on the dynamical function of the human brain, particularly in the context of rising mental health concerns and growing inequality.
• A belief that the understanding of the brain and mind belongs to us all and that globally inclusive participation is essential.

Sapien Labs is based in the Washington DC area with a globally distributed team across four continents. Visit to learn more.

Contact:

Callyn Giese
callyn@sapienlabs.org

Washington, D.C. – Recent data highlight a stark decline in the mental health of younger generations globally. Uncovering the root causes of this decline is a core goal of Sapien Labs. Here we report startling evidence of the increased prevalence of childhood abuse, assault and bullying reported by young adults. Based on a survey of 286,732 people across the Internet-enabled population of 27 countries in 2022, the rates of those who report having experienced abuse, assault or bullying in childhood is three to five-fold higher in the youngest generation of adults (18-24) relative to their parents and grandparents (age 55+). In contrast, the experience of the death of a parent or sibling during childhood has declined.

Among young adults aged 18-24, those who experienced physical abuse/assault or sexual abuse/assault in childhood had the worst mental wellbeing with the majority experiencing debilitating mental health challenges. Those who experienced childhood cyberbullying were not far behind with the majority also experiencing negative mental health. In contrast those who had lost a parent or sibling experienced a far lesser impact on their mental health.

Click here to read the report.

Chennai, India – Krea University and Sapien Labs have collaborated to establish a centre for research and learning related to the human brain and mind. The Sapien Labs Centre for Human Brain and Mind at Krea University was inaugurated by K VijayRaghavan, Former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

The Centre seeks to track and understand the impact of the changing environment on the human brain and its consequences for the individual and society so that it can be managed to mitigate risks and enhance outcomes. The collaboration will bring together cross-disciplinary faculty, large-scale acquisition of multi-dimensional human physiological data, cutting edge data workflows, and engagement with the non-profit, start-up, and government sectors.

Click here to read more.

Washington, D.C. – Firearm deaths due to physical violence dominate homicides in the United States and are anywhere from 8 to 97 times higher per 100k population compared to other countries in the Core Anglosphere and Europe with similar per capita GDP and Internet penetration levels. On the other hand, the USA has higher mental wellbeing and lower levels of self-reported feelings of aggression than many of these countries. When viewed together, across these countries, neither the rates of mental distress nor self reported aggression correlate with firearm death due to physical violence. This lack of correlation suggests that improving mental health is unlikely to have any systematic impact on firearm homicide rates, although may impact other factors such as rates of sexual assault that have been shown to have strong correlations to mental health in the 2021 Mental State of the World Report. We note that the rate of civilian gun ownership across these same countries is significantly correlated with firearm homicide rates. One possible interpretation is thus that while those who commit firearm homicide are clearly mentally distressed or disturbed, those who are mentally distressed are not likely to commit firearm homicide unless there is an easy availability and cultural permissiveness surrounding firearms.

Click here to read the data sheet.

Washington D.C. – Sapien Labs, a non-profit research organization focused on tracking changes in the mind and brain, has released its 2nd Annual Mental State of the World Report (MSW). The MSW report is the world’s largest and most comprehensive global mental wellbeing study, drawing on insights from 223,000 respondents across 34 countries between January 1 and December 31 2021. It utilizes the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), an open online anonymous survey that takes 15 minutes to complete and returns overall wellbeing scores. Scores are on a positive-negative scale where positive scores represent a normal range of functioning while negative scores indicate a negative impact of mental health on the ability to function normally. Key findings of the report are as follows:

A smaller decline compared to 2020

Global mental wellbeing continued to decline in 2021. However, at 3%, it was a smaller decline compared to the 8% drop in 2020. The declines across both years were significantly correlated to the stringency of government Covid-measures, particularly for the 18-34 age group.

Poorest mental wellbeing in the Core Anglosphere 

Latin American and Continental European countries had the best mental wellbeing overall, while countries in the Core-Anglosphere as well as other English-speaking countries had the poorest mental wellbeing. The Core Anglosphere particularly scored lower than all other regions on the dimension of Social Self – how we view ourselves and our ability to form and maintain strong and stable relationships with others, as well as Mood and Outlook. Poor MHQ scores were correlated with country-level cultural indicators of Performance Orientation and Individualism as well as key economic indicators such as GDP per capita.

 A profound generational decline in young people is prevalent across every country

The report reveals that the alarming decline in the mental health of young people is a global phenomenon. Nearly half of young people (44%) had mental health issues in the “distressed” or “struggling” ranges, compared to just 7% of those 65+. Worryingly, just 19% of 18-24 year olds had “thriving” or “succeeding” mental wellbeing scores.

This stands in stark contrast to studies prior to 2010 where young adults typically scored highest on various happiness and well being scales. Of various potential causal factors, we highlight the rapid growth of mobile phones and the internet as the one consistent trend across all countries after 2010.

A small but persistent gender gap, highest in Latin America 

In general, males had slightly higher mental wellbeing than females – a gap that was highest for young adults 18-24. Across all age groups, this gap was highest in Latin America and smallest for the Core Anglosphere. Alarmingly, those who identified as nonbinary (<1%) had the poorest mental wellbeing, with 51% distressed or struggling at a clinical level.

Education and employment are key factors of mental wellbeing

Mental wellbeing increased systematically with higher levels of education for all regions of the world. There was also a substantially higher mental wellbeing among those employed compared to those unemployed or not able to work. This difference was higher in the Core Anglosphere compared to other regions of the world.

Altogether, the mental wellbeing gap between older and younger generations was the most profound (30%) compared to any other dimension examined from education, employment, gender or country-to-country and warrants active and urgent attention.

Tara Thiagarajan, Founder and Chief Scientist at Sapien Labs, said:  “This year, the results quite honestly surprised us. It is the first view of the magnitude of differences in mental wellbeing across age groups, genders and countries.  Overall the findings were surprising and left us to ponder that perhaps our systems of economic growth, values of individualism and a shift from in-person to largely digital interaction fosters an environment of poor mental wellbeing.  This data makes clear that, to nurture the human spirit, we need a new paradigm.”

For press enquiries, email callyn@sapienlabs.org. High resolution images, graphics, logo and other assets are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b5KzEEe-yvbcUdHaqNcL8x-QG1l4mW8V

Washington, D.C. –  Sapien Labs announces the launch of its inaugural Mental State of the World Report for 2020.  This report is the first annual report of the Mental Health Million project providing a view of mental wellbeing trends across eight English speaking countries.

The Mental Health Million project was conceived as a public interest project to enable a comprehensive view of the evolving mental wellbeing of our world so that we can better manage it both individually and collectively. Mental wellbeing extends beyond our feelings of happiness or life satisfaction to encompass the breadth of our emotional, social and cognitive function and capabilities. The project utilizes a uniquely designed online assessment called the Mental Health Quotient, or MHQ.  The MHQ scores mental wellbeing based on a comprehensive list of capabilities or assets as well as challenges that encompass symptoms across ten major mental health disorders, to reflect the spectrum of mental wellbeing across the general population.  Furthermore, by incorporating demographic and life experience elements it can be used to gain deep insights into what drives our mental wellbeing status.

This report includes ~49,000 responses, providing comparisons of aggregate mental wellbeing and its six functional dimensions by countries, age groups and gender, with a particular focus this year on the impact of major lifestyle factors and Covid-19 related adversities and traumas. While the data represented in this report was collected beginning in April following the start of the Covid-19 lockdowns, a few thousand people were surveyed in 2019 offering a point of comparison. While it is clear that Covid has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on our mental wellbeing, the data tells a story of more long-term global challenges, only exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.

The report is available at mentalstateoftheworld.report

Washington, D.C. – Sapien Labs announces the launch of the Mental Health Million Project to map the evolving mental wellbeing of the global population.  Using the unique Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) assessment tool, collected data will assess how individuals stand on a normal spectrum of wellbeing and identify those at risk of a clinical disorder. It will also identify drivers of mental wellbeing that can guide more effective policy and intervention.
The existing national mental health crisis has been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic. A recent American Psychiatric Association poll reported 36% of Americans identified the pandemic as seriously impacting their mental health. Understanding the evolving state of mental wellbeing is imperative now more than ever.  The MHQ therefore specifically probes individual experience of the COVID-19 pandemic such as illness, losing loved ones, isolation or lost employment to understand how the pandemic and its repercussions are impacting mental wellness.

Sapien Labs hopes many individuals will participate in the Mental Health Million Project by taking the MHQ, and also help spread the word by sharing the assessment link at sapienlabs.org/mhq/.  The MHQ can be completed anonymously and takes less than 15 minutes.  An overall mental health score is provided at the end and those who provide an email after completion receive a detailed report providing their scores in six categories giving insight into an individual’s cognitive abilities; emotional regulation and outlook; the perception of self; the nature of relationships with others; and the connection between mind and body.

“Importantly, the MHQ is not an assessment of happiness or life satisfaction, but of the ability to cope with life and its challenges,” stresses Dr. Jennifer Newson, Sapien Labs’ Lead Scientist for Mental Health.  It can however evolve with circumstance and Individuals should take the assessment at different time intervals.”

Sapien Labs also invites partnerships from local governments and other mental health organizations to help build a deeply insightful view of our evolving collective mental wellbeing.