Are you a
teenager living in a sad world, or are you a teenager overcoming the judgement
of others living a happy, normal life? These are questions we ask ourselves
every day. All teenagers experience angst, there's no question about it, but is it really a "defining" feature of the coming of age process? We might say teenagers are a sad, stressed bunch who are hiding behind happy faces, but beneath all of it, most teenagers
are in fact satisfied with their lives.
Most teenagers are seen as lonely, sad, and are known to have
rocky relationships with everyone around them including their parents, but
that’s not what statistics show us. A study by SADD show us that in fact “the
majority of teenagers report being happy every day.” Not only are they happy,
but most of them actually have great relationships with their parents! Parents
grant their teens more freedom and independence when reaching adolescence. It
is up to the parents of course, to guide how much freedom they actually
receive. Responsibility, such as getting a part-time job, also comes with the
coming of age process and this for most teens can be seen as having more freedom
and independence, which is a sign of happiness. Unlike children, teenagers aren't worried about their broken
rag dolls while they’re out being free and playing sports with their best
friends or having drinks in the city’s most booming club.
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While I for one, had a great fun
filled teenage life, most people I do know also have had a fulfilling teenage
life. Teenagers like to stick with people they can be themselves with so doing
group activities with your friends such as eating out, or going to see a movie,
increases they’re happiness. You might say teenagers who live a happy life are
not risk-takers and just stick to their comfort zones, and those who are
risk-takers, are taking all the wrong risks, but Marilyn Price-Mitchell, a
developmental psychologist, conducted her own research study to answer this. She
states that “risk-taking
is equally associated with positive activities, like mountain climbing,
community service, politics, faith groups, and other experiences that can push young people out
of their comfort zones and reward them handsomely”. Teens who tend to do this usually
enjoy the outcome, whether it’d be trying out new sports or simply trying new activities
they wouldn't normally do. Teenagers who are active also reward themselves by
feeling much healthier, which is a great sign of happiness.
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Although some teens are in fact
lonely and do not have opportunities to leap out of their comfort zones, they
do other simple things to keep themselves happy such as reading, drawing or
listening to their favorite rock album. Teens who do have the opportunities to
risk-take but don’t, also stick to what makes them happy such as eating comfort
food together in a large group, or listening to music while dancing together in
one’s bedroom.
Sharing secrets, talking smack,
crying and laughing are all actions that teenagers experience, but are they all
that sad while doing those things? Sure in the moment, you can say crying is stressful and hurtful, but after the cries comes the laughter. These are the moments we
should cherish rather than pushing them away far behind our other memories. As
rapper Drake would say “You only live once”, and these are the times that we
should be living happily.
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