“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 “Few scholars have been as smart on the subject of contemporary narcissism and young people’s relationship with their gadgets as the social psychologist Jean Twenge…[Her] new book, Generations, is chockablock with interesting, surprising insights.” ―Frank Bruni, The New York Times “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 Timesbestselling 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

Chapter Page 1. The How and Why of Generations 1 2. Silents (Born 1925-1945) 33 Event Interlude: The AIDS Epidemic 72 3. Boomers (Born 1946-1964) 75 Event Interlude: 9/11 and the New War 146 4. Generation X (Born 1965-1979) 149 Event Interlude: The Great Recession and Its Aftermath 228 5. Millennials (Born 1980-1994) 231 Event Interlude: The COVID-19 Pandemic 343 6. Generation Z (Born 1995-2012) 345 7. Polars (Born 2013-2029) 451 8. The Future 463 Acknowledgments 517 Sources 521 Index 539

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.