What’s the Connection between Despair and Low Fertility?

Insights from Nobel laureate Robert Shiller

Have you seen the latest ‘depression memes’? On Instagram, Reddit and TikTok, young people joke about being sad or even committing suicide. This shared comedy reflects Gen Z’s wider culture: young people, especially women, are increasingly discussing and reporting mental illness.

The effects of this discourse are unclear. On one hand, it may be eroding stigma and encouraging people to seek help. On the other, it may be normalising a sense of despair.

Now, here is a question for social scientists: how does despair affect fertility?

RadioActive reporter Zuheera Ali created her own meme, based on the "Is this a pigeon?" meme derived from a memorable quote said by the protagonist character from the 1990s Japanese anime TV series The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird.