Tanzanian youth lead globally in mental resilience: New study

Dar es Salaam. A new report has revealed that Tanzanian young adults demonstrate stronger mental resilience, achieving the highest recorded mental well-being scores among all 76 countries surveyed globally.

The Mental State of the World 2024 report, was released by a global leader in mental health research, Sapien Labs.

Sapien Labs’ Centre for Research of Brain and Mind (CEREBRAM) housed at the Arusha-based Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). The centre runs the largest ongoing human brain study in Africa.

The centre has collected data on over 5000 people across a wide diversity of Tanzania’s tribes, populations and geographies to shed light on the environmental impacts on brain and mind.

The report, which analysed over one million responses worldwide from internet enabled populations in 76 countries, across all continents, shows that Tanzania stands out as the only country where the average Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) score of internet-enabled young adults exceeds 70.

However, it is worth noting that the figures for Tanzanian youth are still way below the average figures for older adults generally across the globe. 

Across all countries, younger adults have diminished Mind Health relative to older generations. 

In only 15 out of 79 countries did their average MHQ score exceed 50 and in just one country – Tanzania, had an average MHQ above 65 – equivalent to the lowest country average among those aged 55+.

“These figures contrasts sharply with the West, where youth mental well-being has been in steep decline since 2019, with no signs of recovery. The decline in mind health across the world is characterised by a deterioration of the ability to control and regulate thoughts and emotions as well as form and maintain positive relationships with people,” the centre said in a statement.

The reasons behind Tanzania’s stronger figures on youth mental well-being, can be linked to several factors including the country’s minimal ultra-processed food sales, less exposure to plastic – Tanzania has banned single use plastic, as well as less exposure to industrial toxins – the economy is more focused on tourism and agriculture.

The other major factor benefitting Tanzania’s youth is less exposure to smart phones from a young age and less time spent on phones – which could be the result of weaker internet coverage across the country.

The other strong factor helping Tanzania’s youth be more mentally resilient is that the country has a more social, collective culture with a greater emphasis on family bonds and friendships.

Founder and Chief Scientist at Sapien Labs, Dr Tara Thiagarajan, said Africa holds a unique advantage in youth mental health, an asset that must be actively protected as the continent undergoes rapid technological and economic shifts.

“With Africa’s youthful population set to play a key role in the global economy in the coming decades, governments must take proactive steps to ensure that urbanisation, digital adoption and evolving lifestyles do not erode the mental resilience that is now setting African youth apart from the rest of the world,” she said.

Findings from the report, further suggest that stronger community and family ties, later exposure to smartphones, and more face-to-face social interactions may contribute to these varying scores.

The factors, which help build emotional resilience, have been declining in high-income nations over the past decade, where digital connectivity and individualism have replaced traditional social structures.

However, as Africa urbanises and adopts more technology, researchers warn that these benefits could fade if not protected, leading to a decline in young people’s mental well-being across the continent.

The report highlights a widening generational gap in mental health worldwide. While older adults (55+) continue to thrive, younger adults are facing unique levels of distress.

The consequence of this as the older generation moves out of the workforce is that we will be faced with a new workforce that may not be able to cope with the pressures of daily life.

There will be less productivity, more days off, less co-operation and more anxiety and possibly more violence in daily life with a generation that does not have the cognitive ability to cope,” Dr Thiagarajan said.

“For Tanzania, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge to learn from global trends and act now to preserve the mental resilience of its young people,” she added.