# Teens Love to be Miserable



## Drachir (Nov 22, 2009)

As a former teacher with 37 years experience in the classroom I certainly could have told you this.  But it is interesting that there now appears to be a scientific study to support it.  Teens- miserable little bastards and enjoying every minute of it.  

Teens love to be miserable: Study


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## Window Bar (Nov 27, 2009)

Interesting stuff, Drachir. I wonder, though, if it might be a bit more positive than the article asserts?

Like you, I haven't been a teen for a long, long while. Still, in thinking back, I remember the teen years the time that I first developed any sense of social consciousness and conscience. Wars, famines, birth defects -- all that kind of thing first made an impression on me at that age.

Intentionally inducing unhappiness? I can't say I recall doing that, per se. I do, however, recall putting myself into situations that helped me comprehend the darker side of existence. And yes, those situations did induce unhappiness, at least temporarily.


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## Teresa Edgerton (Nov 28, 2009)

Maybe it's more a conviction that they _ought_ to be unhappy:  the state of the world, the cruelty of mankind, the belief that civilization is in a downslide, etc.  They may feel ashamed of being happy, therefore, they want to be miserable.

There is also the perception a lot of kids have that being unhappy and full of angst is somehow admirable: miserable people are more sensitive, artistic, generally cooler.   In their minds, if they are happy too much of the time, then they would be mediocre.

Of course kids who are genuinely unhappy most of the time don't believe any of those things.  I was one of those kids, and I desperately wanted to be happy.


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## jessie~mai (Nov 28, 2009)

:S
im a teen and i certainly dont like to be unhappy, but i didnt think i was in the minority
that just doesnt make sense D:


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## HareBrain (Nov 28, 2009)

Happiness isn't often complex; misery can be, and therefore allows a great deal of self-examination and, more importantly, discussion with others. And both of these are interesting at an age when hormonal changes lead to emotional states being felt more intensely, and when the personal identity is in its stage of greatest flux and self-inspection.

My emotional life didn't really start till university, but I still remember the novelty of talking about emotional stuff with other students, and problems (real or largely imagined) were an obvious subject. Some people never grow out of this habit; they think the best way of engaging other people's interest is to moan on about their issues.

Of course, this "invented misery" in teens is much more likely to be the case for those who don't really have anything to complain about.


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## Rosemary (Nov 28, 2009)

The only part of my teens that I can recall being really miserable was when I was dragged kicking and screaming to Australia!  Leaving a good job and lots of friends behind was a very bad time for me.


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## Chinook (Dec 2, 2009)

There is some psychological basis for this but "miserable" is just the background emotion. The real emotion underneath is anger, and under that is fear. A lot of teens would never admit in a trillion years that they were afraid of anything. In fact they like to show how daring they are in many ways (drinking or drugging too much, bungee jumping, snowboarding, gigantic wild rides at theme parks, etc.) Just like most humans, teens are overcompensating for something - the fear of growing up. (At the same time, they know they must (grow up), so they rebel against authority so that they can establish themselves as individuals.) It is my opinion that this is the second "onset" of the "terrible two's". Two year olds are not "terrible". They just want to "establish their territory", and learn to do some things they see the adults doing. They want to grow up. (How unnatural!!!)  I think it is particularly poignant that Teresa said "Maybe they should be unhappy. Look at the state of the world, the cruelty of mankind, the belief that civilization is in a downslide, etc."

I know that is how I began to feel when I saw the "real world" (I feel like saying_ unreal world_) they way it was and has been for so long. A good study of history will find that we are actually getting a little better in the area of Civil Rights, but we have a whole new set of problems on the horizon. (Some are being talked about right along side this thread).  

Here is a recent statement by a teenager:

Adults often look at teenagers as their problems thanks to their disobedience but I see it differently. The rebellious and daring acts are the beauty of teenagers. They dare explore things that adults dare not and they often come up with new creations. Without all these, there wouldn't be arts or new technology coming to our world. Teenagers do benefit to our society in the same way as adults and they are by no mean a problem. Only thing they have to concern is that they can take the risk doing many things but those risks should be completely safe.

(from Rebellious and daring acts beauty of teenagers)


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## Werewoman (Dec 6, 2009)

*looks sideways at her newly 17 year old son*

Yeppers. Loves to be miserable, apparently. j/k He's a great kid! I've taught high school myself, and if there's one thing to say about teenagers it's there are no absolutes when it comes to dealing with them and that no matter how much some of them like to conform, they are all very different.


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