Scroll through your news feed for five minutes, and it’s easy to feel a sense of dread. Headlines scream about political division, cultural conflict, economic anxiety, and a relentless cascade of bad news. The prevailing narrative suggests that we are living through an unprecedented societal collapse, a great unraveling of everything we hold dear. Our brains, wired for threat detection, latch onto this narrative, making it feel viscerally true.

But what if this feeling, however powerful, doesn't reflect the full reality? When researchers, historians, and data scientists step back from the chaotic noise of the present moment and analyze long-term global trends, a different story emerges. It’s a story that’s more complex, more nuanced, and, against all odds, profoundly more hopeful.

📉 Fact 1: Violence Has Plummeted Over the Long Term

While violent events dominate media coverage, giving the impression of a world perpetually at war, the historical data is clear: we are living in the most peaceful era in human history. This might sound jarring, especially with ongoing conflicts, but it's about the statistical likelihood of an average person experiencing violence.

In his extensive research, psychologist Steven Pinker and other historians have demonstrated that rates of violence have declined dramatically over centuries. Consider this:

• Homicide Rates: In Europe, historical records show that homicide rates were 10 to 50 times higher in the Middle Ages than they are today. A petty dispute was far more likely to end in death.
• Large-Scale Wars: The period after World War II has been dubbed the "Long Peace." While proxy wars and civil conflicts have been devastating, wars between major global powers—the kind that kill tens of millions—have become remarkably rare.
• Everyday Safety: More people live without the constant, gnawing threat of physical violence from warfare, raids, or state-sanctioned torture than at almost any other point in civilization.

❤️ Fact 2: We Are Living Longer, Healthier Lives

Perhaps the most undeniable marker of human progress is our health and longevity. The story of the last century is one of breathtaking advances against disease, disability, and early death. Global life expectancy has more than doubled, soaring from around 32 years in 1900 to over 73 years today.

This incredible leap wasn't an accident. It was the result of quiet, persistent work in science and public health:

• Vaccination: Diseases like smallpox, which killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone, have been completely eradicated. Polio is on the brink of extinction. Measles, mumps, and rubella are preventable.
• Sanitation & Hygiene: The simple acts of providing clean drinking water and promoting handwashing have saved more lives than perhaps any single medical invention.
• Medical Breakthroughs: From antibiotics and insulin to modern cancer treatments and cardiovascular surgery, medicine has transformed once-fatal conditions into manageable ones.

Infant and child mortality rates have plummeted to historic lows worldwide. A child born today has a better chance of surviving to adulthood and living a long, healthy life than at any time in the past. Even as we face new challenges like pandemics and chronic illness, the engine of scientific progress continues to run, often quietly and without fanfare.

🌍 Fact 3: Extreme Poverty Is in Retreat Worldwide

For most of human history, abject poverty was the default condition. Living on the equivalent of less than $2 a day, with chronic hunger, no access to clean water, and no path to a better life was the norm for the vast majority. That reality has been fundamentally altered in our lifetimes.

In 1990, nearly 2 billion people—or 36% of the world's population—lived in extreme poverty. By 2019, that number had fallen to around 650 million, or about 8.5%. This is one of the greatest, yet least-reported, achievements in human history.

This does not mean poverty is solved or that wealth inequality isn't a critical issue. It absolutely is. But it does mean that the most desperate, life-threatening conditions that once defined humanity are no longer the fate of billions.

📚 Fact 4: Education and Literacy Are Expanding

Two centuries ago, only about 12% of the world's population could read and write. Today, that number is over 86%. This silent revolution has unlocked human potential on an unprecedented scale. Globally, more people are educated today than ever before, and access to schooling—especially for women and girls—has expanded dramatically.

Why is this so important? Education consistently correlates with nearly every positive metric of social well-being:

• Healthier families and lower infant mortality
• Lower crime rates
• Stronger, more stable economies
• Greater civic participation and democratic resilience

The empowerment that comes from literacy and education is a tide that lifts all boats. While challenges in educational quality and access remain, the overall trajectory is one of remarkable, world-changing improvement.

🤝 Fact 5: Our Moral Circle Is Growing

Progress isn't just material; it's also moral. Research in psychology and sociology suggests that over time, humans have steadily expanded their "circle of moral concern." We have gradually grown to care about the well-being of a wider group of others beyond our immediate family or tribe.

Think of the abolition of slavery, the women's suffrage movement, the fight for civil rights, and the ongoing push for LGBTQ+ equality. Each of these hard-won battles represents a societal decision to grant dignity, rights, and empathy to groups that were previously excluded. Support for gender equality, disability access, and racial justice is at an all-time high, even if the work is far from finished.

This expansion now includes non-human animals and the natural environment. The rise of animal welfare movements and global environmentalism are signs that our capacity for compassion continues to grow. Progress is often born from conflict, but the long-term trend shows a widening concern for fairness and a rejection of cruelty.

🧠 So, Why Does Everything *Feel* So Bad?

If things are getting better on so many fronts, why are we all so pessimistic? The answer lies in the intersection of psychology and technology.

🌱 Cautious Optimism: The Path Forward

To be clear, none of this data is a call for complacency. It doesn't mean our problems aren't real. Climate change is an existential threat. Political polarization is dangerously high. Economic uncertainty and mental health crises are causing genuine suffering. These are monumental challenges that require our full attention.

But the data does not support the idea that we are living through an inevitable, terminal collapse. Instead, it suggests we're in a turbulent but dynamic period of transition—one where human ingenuity, cooperation, and adaptability are still powerful forces.

Hopelessness is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we believe the world is doomed, we stop trying to fix it. The data offers a powerful antidote to that despair. It doesn’t say everything is fine, but it does provide a vital piece of perspective:

And sometimes, that is more than enough reason to be hopeful. 💪