Is the world becoming less kind, honest, and good than it used to be? Using archival data from over 12 million people worldwide from at least 60 nations across 70 years, researchers found people believe in moral decline. Consistently over 50 years, more than 85 % of participants believed that society was becoming less honest, kind, and civil. Yet, when researchers asked participants to assess people they knew, they reported moral improvement over 10 years. Thus, thinking our world is in moral decline is an illusion! What causes this illusion? For humanity’s survival, humans are alert to danger, seeing negative information more readily than positive. This illusion has consequences that affect our behavior and even influence political preferences. Leaders who promise to combat the apparent moral decline tend to gain popularity. People are not becoming more evil. This gives hope. Though media reports killings, war, and corruption, people exhibit less violence than in previous times. De-stress yourself. Notice the positives: the progress in providing for those in emergencies and in need—people improving your community. Work together for humanity’s survival and betterment. Join others to make it happen! Reference: Mastroianni, A.M., Gilbert, D.T. The illusion of moral decline. Nature 618, 782–789 (2023). http://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06137-x

Written by Jarret Bain B.S.