meaning crisis – Arthur C. Brooks tells young adults that depression and anxiety can be driven by a perceived lack of meaning.
Young adults are not just facing stress, they are being urged to confront a deeper question: what if the problem is that life feels meaningless?
Arthur C.. Brooks. speaking at an interfaith gathering in Utah. framed what he called a “meaning crisis” as a central driver behind today’s mental health struggles for people under 30.. Rather than treating anxiety and depression as isolated issues. he argued that the way many young adults think about their lives can become a key predictor of how they feel.
Insight: This matters because the phrase “meaning” shifts attention from quick fixes to the daily habits that shape identity, purpose, and emotional resilience.
Brooks. who returned to academia in 2019 after more than a decade away. said he expected college students to be broadly content.. Instead. he described a pattern of rising distress and explained that his work led him toward one conclusion: when “meaning” runs dry. mental health can follow.. The interfaith event brought together dozens of young adults and community leaders. reflecting how widely the concern resonates across faiths and neighborhoods.
In Utah, University of Utah leadership also highlighted the theme, emphasizing that the search for meaning is not a one-time exercise but an ongoing question. The message landed with a simple challenge: don’t wait for life to force the question—ask it intentionally.
Insight: When a community treats meaning as a shared concern, it can normalize conversations that often remain private, especially around mental health.
A significant part of Brooks’s argument focused on how modern life trains the mind.. He suggested that the technology boom and the constant pull of information changed the culture around young people’s attention. turning everyday moments into a cycle of analysis rather than reflection.. In his view, this can leave less room for the mental conditions that allow meaning to emerge.
He drew a distinction between “complex” problems and “complicated” ones, describing how different parts of the brain engage with each.. Complex challenges. he said. are understood but not fully solvable. and they include navigating relationships. building faith. and wrestling with what gives life purpose.. Meanwhile. complicated problems are solvable. and Brooks argued that the way people interact with phones can tilt attention toward the solvable—turning down the work required for deeper. more uncertain questions.
Insight: The real takeaway is not to reject technology, but to protect the mental space where curiosity and reflection can do their job.