Why do so many Americans feel pessimistic?

Episode 81: If, as some people believe, there has never been a better time to be living in America, why do so many people — especially young people — feel so depressed about their lives and their futures.

Hosts Rick Kyte and Scott Rada discuss this dichotomy and how catastrophizing plays a role in the lack of optimism many people feel about their lives.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Confident adults were likely accepted, loved as children, Rick Kyte

Why are young liberals so depressed?, by Matt Yglesias, Slow Boring

We’re missing a key driver of teen anxiety, by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Kyte is also the author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)."

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