August 15, 2024

By Courtney Wise

Greetings, MindSite News Readers! In today’s Daily, Hollywood takes a cue from Gen Z to shift its storytelling. A refreshing read on the high rates of healthy only children. Some of the gray hair on your head is probably – if only partially – attributable to stress. Plus, an episode of NPR’s Life Kit that’s all about how to avoid relationship catastrophe after the birth of your first child.

Will Gen Z convince filmmakers and others to make room for stories about teen friendship?

Gen Z is lonely, even more than their millennial friends, social scientists say. That’s because communicating via social media with digital devices became their primary source of connection early on, supplanting in-person interactions – especially during the early pandemic. What’s that mean for Hollywood? asks the Los Angeles Times.  Entertainment companies are trying to figure it out, as new research shows that young adults’ interests are shifting from a preference for stories about romantic relationships to one for loving (if platonic) friendships.

Of course, there have always been great movies about child and teen friendship (think: Stand By Me, Bend It Like Beckham and even ET) as well as TV series like Friends and Seinfeld starring young adult besties, but their numbers pale compared to the teen romance genre. However, a 2023 study found that people ages 10 to 24 want to see more friendships between onscreen characters rather than the antics of social groups linked through romance and sex. A 2024 poll conducted by the data division of Beverly Hills-based powerhouse United Talent Agency supported those findings, with nearly 70% of Gen Z respondents saying their favorite TV and film character duos were friends, while just 17% favored a romantic couple. They also preferred shows emphasizing friendship.

“Friendship is more universal,” said Matt Feniger of UTA’s entertainment marketing group. “Love comes in many different forms, and Gen Z really experiments with how they identify, and they’re really going through that coming of age process. But friendship is the same, no matter what.”

In response, the Times says studios and networks are increasing their investments in content that reflects the importance of friendship. Apple TV and HBO are both cited as presenting new friend-based shows in their fall lineup, while UTA added that their podcasting and digital content creator clients are brainstorming ways to safely connect with fans in-person.

Podcasting is prime for such experiences because podcast fans often feel as if they’re part of a friend group with fellow listeners. There’s something about the intimacy of how one consumes podcasts; often in the car or with headphones, as though the hosts are speaking directly to the listener. Another survey supports the notion: Of 1,000 Gen Z podcast listeners who responded, 78 percent said they view themselves as belonging to a community with others who listen to their favorite series.

Only children grow up to live good lives, too

I am a selfish, inconsiderate parent – at least that’s how I interpreted what my husband’s aunt said when I confirmed we have no plans for additional children. “It’s horrible to leave a child all alone like that!,” she exclaimed. “What about when you get old and need help? Who’s gonna help her?” The sentiment is common at this point. Jillian Woinarowicz, an only child who is pregnant with what will be her only child, told Vox that it’s become standard for people to ask her, “‘Do you hate your life?’ They look to me for reassurance, like, ‘Are you sure you’re okay? Is my kid going to be okay?’” Science says yes. Your only child will be just fine. 

“There’s a widespread belief in the US that only children are lonely, selfish, and maladjusted,” says Toni Falbo, a social psychologist who studies only children. “The assumption is that being an only child warps people for the rest of their lives, but the research suggests that they’re just like everybody else, not especially likely to be crazy or unhappy.” In one of her studies, a comprehensive meta-analysis of 115 studies of only children since the 1920s, Falbo found that “across all developmental outcomes, only children were found to be indistinguishable from firstborns and people from small families.” Research does indicate that very young children with siblings have better social skills—but only until around adolescence when their sibling-less peers catch up.

In other news…

Google and Selena Gomez flash-funded mental health projects for public school teachers across the United States via the educational donation site DonorsChoose. The action follows a commitment that the tech giant made earlier this year, to back nonprofits that support kids’ mental health and online safety, the Associated Press reports. In addition to a $6 million gift to DonorsChoose, Google announced $1.5 million in donations to the Jed Foundation, the Steve Fund, and Child Mind Institute with the intent to support efforts focused on the emotional wellbeing of young adults, people of color, and children. The three organizations will create half-hour training sessions to help educators manage the mental health challenges they encounter in the classroom. 

The lice aren’t leaving, so why don’t we make room for what they offer us instead – gratitude for our normal lives (without them)? That’s the premise of this column I intended to hate-read in the Washington Post. Instead, I learned that I should release my fear of lice, as they don’t transmit disease but just might reveal the depths of your friendships. 

Are you and your live-in partner having a baby? Consider listening to this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. It offers advice from couples coach Aaron Steinberg and perinatal therapist Shy Porter on how to divvy your shared life’s workload before the baby arrives and divorce starts sounding delicious. You’d be surprised how attractive breaking up looks when you’re drowning in diapers and dirty dishes.

77 picture books about mental health: If you’re looking for your next favorite bedtime story, or a helpful explainer to teach your child about an array of emotional and mental challenges, this list from the Child Mind Institute is a good place to start. 

If parents (or others) notice more gray strands on their head after a particularly calamitous time, stress might well be the culprit. Or, at the very least, a contributing factor. Though there is not yet extensive research on humans regarding the subject, several finished studies suggest “that maybe stress does, in fact, play a role for some people,” dermatology researcher Victoria Barbosa told the New York Times. In one small study, published three years ago, researchers plucked strands from the heads of 14 people. Some strands were gray, others were partly gray, a few had no gray in them at all. With technology, researchers calculated when each strand went gray and later asked participants to mark their year’s most stressful experiences on a timeline, from least to most distressing. They found that graying strands were linked to the most stressful moments participants marked. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and connect in English or Spanish. If you’re a veteran press 1. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing dial 711, then 988. Services are free and available 24/7.