Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future

Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future

A groundbreaking, “lavishly informative” ( The New York Times ) portrait of the six generations that currently live in the United States and how they connect, conflict, and compete with one another—from the acclaimed author of Generation Me and iGen. Upending the conventional theory that generational differences are caused by major events, Dr. Jean Twenge analyzes data on 39 million people from robust national surveys—some going back nearly a century—to show that changes in technology are the underlying driver of each generation’s unique makeup. In this revelatory work, Twenge outlines key shifts in attitudes and lifestyle choices that define each generation regarding gender, income, politics, race, sexuality, marriage, mental health, and much more. Surprising, engaging, and informative, Generations “gets you thinking about how appreciating generational differences can, ironically, bring us together” (Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author). It will forever change the way you view your parents, peers, coworkers, and children, no matter which generation you call your own. “Lavishly informative.” —David Brooks, The New York Times “Fascinating… an informative and insightful study of the dynamics at play in U.S. society today.” — Publishers Weekly “In this magnum opus, Jean Twenge summarizes three decades of research and survey data from 39 million people to paint a portrait of six American generations. Her conclusions about technology and individualism—and her predictions for the future—will leave you gasping. More important, Jean gets you thinking about how appreciating generational differences can, ironically, bring us together.” —Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit “Jean Twenge’s fascinating new book gives key insights into how cultural trends have shaped each generation's psychological well-being – it is essential reading for anyone concerned about today's mental health crisis.” — Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone “This is a gripping family saga, told in graphs and stories, about the six living generations. Twenge shows not just how we all differ from our parents and children, but why. It’s not mostly because of major events; it's a far more interesting story about technology and the slowing down of childhood development. Generations is vital reading for parents, teachers, managers, and anyone else who works across the generation gaps.” —Jonathan Haidt NYU—Stern School of Business, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind “When Jean Twenge publishes a new book, I race to get it! It rare to find a rigorous, meticulous scientist and a gifted writer in the same person. Generations is going to be an eye opener and a book that readers will revisit again and again.” —Sonja Lyubomirsky, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness Jean M. Twenge, PhD, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 190 scientific publications and several books based on her research, including Ten Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World , Generations , iGen , and Generation Me . Her research has been covered in Time , The Atlantic, Newsweek , The New York Times , USA TODAY , and The Washington Post . She has also been featured on Today , Good Morning America , Fox and Friends , CBS This Morning , Real Time with Bill Maher, and NPR. She lives in San Diego with her husband and three daughters. Chapter 1: The How and Why of Generations CHAPTER 1 The How and Why of Generations In the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar lies North Sentinel, an island about the size of Manhattan. In 2018, a 26-year-old American paid a group of fishermen to take him there. He was never seen again. North Sentinel is the home of one of the last groups of humans isolated from the rest of the world. Outsiders have visited over the centuries, including a group of anthropologists between the 1960s and 1990s, but the tribe has made it clear they want to be left alone. Boats and helicopters that get too close are greeted by tribesmen waving spears and bows, and the few lone outsiders who have ventured there have been killed, leading India to ban boats from traveling within a three-mile radius of the island. Although the tribe uses metal from shipwrecks for their weapons, they have no modern technology. Their day-to-day lives today are, in all likelihood, barely different from how they were two hundred years ago. As a result, parents on North Sentinel are not shooing their kids off video games and telling them to go outside and play. Parents are not worrying that their teenage children are spending too much time on TikTok. They are hunting, gathering, and cooking over an open fire instead of picking the best Amazon Fresh delivery window. With no birth control, young women on the island have chil