Gen Z, Millennials are choosing ease over grind, but the soft life isn’t cheap (and also Why The ‘Soft Life’ Trend Is Crushing Hustle Culture—By A Psychologist)
This is fine:
“Millennials and Gen Z are rejecting the burnout culture and hustle mentality they witnessed their parents endure.
I totally get the idea of trying to balance life better. And that’s coming from someone who did the traditional work ethic, saved much, saved by doing our own car repairs and home repairs and remodeling ourselves – but missed out on life experiences. I get that and I encourage people who can, to enjoy life while they can – because they might be saving for a future that does not come (due to public health pandemics, illness, economic crash).
But – Gen Z also claims “Boomers had it easy” – while simultaneously saying Boomers worked too hard, burned out and gave up much of their lives. There’s a disconnect between those assertions! Boomers both had it “easy” and worked too hard and burned out!
Gen Z intends to prioritize other activities which may lead to less money:
Instead of that, they prioritize mental health, work-life balance and present-moment enjoyment. Gen Z prefer a better quality of life over extra money in the bank and want to set boundaries, practice self-care and define success on their own terms rather than society’s expectations,” Abhishek Kumar, a SEBI-registered adviser and founder of SahajMoney, tells India Today.
But they still want to have a nice home, and travel internationally. But without having to do the work necessary to fund that, themselves. Over on my Travel blog I summarized many of the “I moved abroad stories” where, often, the young writer says, literally, they wanted to work less so they oved to a country where the cost of living is low in terms of U.S. currency (it is not low cost in terms of local wages, though).
There is a disconnect between wanting it all but also taking things easier.
Throughout history, every generation has, on average, had a better quality of life then preceding generations. Many today have grown up in a world that was a life of luxury 50-60 years ago. This warps their views and expectations – they believe life of the past was idyllic (while now saying they don’t want to work as hard as their parents’ generation!).
Today, many attended private universities and have done study abroad programs. A majority of Gen Z has international experience – another example of lifestyle creep.
This occurs because many in Gen Z benefited from what their parents provided to them – giving them lifestyle advantages.
Many of those pursuing “soft life” did not suffer – but grew up with a financial cushion. They travel, they post their adventures on social media, and soon, this becomes the “standard” expectation of how life is to be lived:
Those with generational wealth, financially stable families, lower living costs in smaller towns or high-paying digital and tech jobs naturally have a smoother, safer and more achievable path to the soft life.
“Everyone doesn’t start from the same level, and hence, wealth inequality does exist. Many do have a comparatively easier path to soft living as they can afford luxury products and take time off without financial panic. Compared to this, those without parental financial support or lacking access to high-paying technical careers face difficulty affording the soft life,” mentions Kumar.
Exactly.
Our modern, luxury life, promoted by social media influencers, costs more money than the past – but we run into the disconnect and conflict – we want to take things “soft” while simultaneously living a luxury lifestyle.
Most of this stuff is social media noise.
In the last few years, the idea of the “soft life” has taken over Instagram captions, YouTube vlogs and everyday conversations. Young people today crave a life built on ease, balance and emotional well-being, and it’s a conscious move away from hustle culture, burnout and glorified exhaustion.
Another: Inside Gen Z’s ‘Soft Saving’ Movement: Are They Trading Future Security for Present Comfort?
“What Gen Z needs isn’t another lecture, but genuine recognition of their struggles.”
Things are tough for many – in Gen Z and not in Gen Z. But Gen Z needs to recognize that life has been tough (and tougher) for ages and for every generation.
That level of uncertainty is part of what’s driving soft saving. While 42% of Gen Zers say they’re motivated to plan for their future given global events, a greater number (48%) say global challenges make them want to “live for today” instead, according to a 2024 TIAA survey.3
My guess is a small minority of Gen Z is complaining – because this next data says many are saving money and not just spending it:
In fact, 84% report setting aside a portion of their paycheck each month, and 57% say they stick to a budget.3 But rising living costs—particularly housing, which consumes about half of Gen Z’s monthly budget on average—along with higher student debt and job market volatility, make it difficult to save more. Only 20% of Gen Zers are saving for retirement, according to the TIAA survey.
Gen Z should not be saving for retirement – yet. There is a myth that you should start saving for retirement with your first paycheck. Nope. There are more important things to save and spend on in your early years and the economic research has concluded that too – see NBER research paper finds college educated workers should postpone saving for retirement until they are older – Coldstreams
Save for emergencies, save for future planned purchases, save for a home downpayment – but don’t yet save for retirement until your near-term needs are met.
TIAA Institute. “From Gap Years to Golden Years: A Look at Gen Z’s Current Thinking About Retirement.”
Gen Z In Real Life
The Gen Z people I know and interact with in real life are, in fact, smart, hardworking and ambitious. It is as if most of the media and social media Gen Z stories are creative fiction – or posted by a minority of Gen Z that has free time to post on social media! That gives us a sample bias problem.
The claims that Gen Z are oppressed victims could also originate in political propaganda – the new mayors of NYC and Seattle have implied we must adopt socialist policies because Gen Z is oppressed, with suggestions that Baby Boomers have houses and savings, and they are the oppressors who must pay! Their propaganda messaging permeates social media and becomes a trending meme. Reporters, who often source stories to social media posts, run with the flow – amplifying the propaganda.
Example of Family Wealth and Privilege in Gen Z
Leeah Derenoncourt is a 24-year-old digital nomad born in the U.S. currently working out of Chile’s capital, Santiago, but she was jet-setting long before relocating to South America. Her parents’ jobs in international public health took her around the world from Haiti, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Philippines, eventually settling back in Maryland when she was 10 years old. Her childhood planted the seed for even more adventures later in life: After receiving her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Emerson College in December 2022, she packed her bags and headed for the airport.
(In 2025, the estimated annual cost of attending Emerson, unsubsidized, is about $83,000/year.
The above is a typical story and sets expectations such that 40% of young women say they wish to move out of the US permanently.
She had a life of privilege – and her lifestyle is promoted by the media as “normal”. She moves about the world, working remotely in publicity, and is planning to pursue a Masters degree at a university in Europe.
I started working part time at age 10 – and was required to save a minimum of 50% of my earnings to pay for future college. I worked part time, near continuously, all the way into college (the exceptions were when I was recovering from a 5″ long skull fracture, and when I missed about one third of a school year due to a Staph A infection, influenza and pneumonia – at the same time.) I was encouraged to leave high school one year early – in order to expand my lifetime earnings by a year.
I lived at home and went to a local public college for the first 2 years (which didn’t even have my major) and then transferred to another public university with in-state tuition. I was working full time about six weeks after graduation. We did not have “gap years” – nor could we take time off to travel. We were in a high unemployment era (peaked at 10.8%), mortgage rates peaked at 16%, and competing for jobs with a huge young cohort simultaneously entering the work force, as indicated by the fertility rate curve.
Those born in 1960 were then new workers in their 20s in the 1980s – all competing for jobs.
US fertility rate
This video points out that our desire for a fake luxury lifestyle is creating expense creep:
Why The Luxury Lie Is Making Us Miserable
