Summary: New research shows that college students today experience far greater pressure to be perfect than students a generation ago. The review pooled data from 307 studies conducted between 1989 and 2024, covering more than 82,000 students in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The analysis links this steady rise in perfectionism to broad social and economic forces—most notably growing inequality and sluggish economic growth—suggesting perfectionism is a systemic contributor to the contemporary youth mental health crisis.
Key Facts
- A generation under increased pressure: Self-reported perfectionism among college students in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. has risen steadily from 1989 through 2024. Students today report higher expectations and greater internal pressure to perform flawlessly than prior cohorts.
- Perfectionistic concerns are rising fastest: Since the early 2000s the components of perfectionism have diverged. Fear-based features—labeled “perfectionistic concerns,” which include fear of failure, chronic indecision, and dread of negative judgment—have grown much more rapidly than “perfectionistic strivings,” the drive to set and pursue high standards.
- Economic stagnation fuels striving: The review found that slower GDP per capita correlates with increases in perfectionistic strivings. When economic opportunity contracts, young people often respond by pushing themselves harder to secure scarce rewards.
- Inequality amplifies fear: Rising economic inequality is strongly associated with sharper increases in perfectionistic concerns. As the gap between winners and losers widens, anxiety about mistakes and sensitivity to others’ evaluations intensify.
- Public health implications: Lead author Dr. Thomas Curran stresses that perfectionism should be treated as a systemic public health issue rather than a mere personality quirk. Across decades, higher perfectionism consistently predicts greater symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Beyond social media: Although smartphones and social platforms are often blamed for youth distress, the upward trend in perfectionism long predates social media’s rise, indicating deeper cultural and economic roots.
Source: APA
College students today feel more pressure to be perfect than previous generations, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The rise in perfectionism appears linked to social and economic trends such as growing inequality and slowing economic growth.
“Perfectionism is a public health risk—it’s associated with increased depression and anxiety,” said lead author Thomas Curran, PhD, of the London School of Economics and Political Science. “To address the youth mental health crisis, we must consider these broader cultural and economic drivers.”
The study appears in Psychological Bulletin.
Building on earlier work through 2017, the authors sought to determine whether perfectionism continued to rise and why. They analyzed 307 studies from 1989–2024, involving 82,939 college students in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Each study used one of two standard perfectionism scales, allowing consistent comparison over time.
The analysis confirmed a long-term increase in self-reported perfectionism across the study period. Importantly, the pattern shifted in the early 2000s: anxiety-driven features (perfectionistic concerns) accelerated faster than the motivational aspect (perfectionistic strivings). In other words, students are increasingly plagued by fear of failure, indecision, and worry about others’ judgments, even as their drive to achieve also rises.
By comparing trends across countries and economic indicators, the researchers found distinct links to macroeconomic conditions. Declining GDP per capita tracked with greater perfectionistic striving, suggesting compensation for fewer tangible opportunities. Rising inequality tracked with steeper jumps in perfectionistic concerns, implying that a more unequal society intensifies fear of error and social evaluation.
“When economic opportunity is limited, young people tend to respond by striving harder,” Curran explained. “When inequality increases, fear of failure and worry about others’ opinions become central to young people’s experience.”
The team also examined whether the relationship between perfectionism and mental health changed over time. They found it remained stable: higher perfectionism continued to predict greater symptoms of depression and anxiety across decades. Because perfectionism has grown, it likely contributes to rising mental health concerns among students.
“These results add important context to public debates about youth mental health,” Curran said. “Although technology attracts a lot of attention, the rise in perfectionism began well before social media became widespread. Deeper economic and cultural forces appear to be driving this trend.”
Key Questions Answered:
A: The study indicates students are responding to a more unstable and unequal environment. Slower economic growth and fewer clear pathways to stable success encourage young people to internalize extreme standards, believing any mistake could have long-term consequences.
A: Perfectionistic strivings reflect ambition and hard work toward high standards. Perfectionistic concerns reflect a fear-driven state—persistent worry about failure, difficulty deciding, and hypersensitivity to negative judgment. The study finds that the fear-driven concerns are increasing most rapidly.
A: The evidence points to deeper structural changes: growing inequality and economic stagnation. The trend toward greater perfectionism predates widespread social media use, indicating structural economic and cultural pressures are central factors.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The journal paper was reviewed in full.
- Additional context was added by editorial staff.
About this psychology and perfectionism research news
Author: Nikki Gaskins
Source: APA
Contact: Nikki Gaskins – APA
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. “Perfectionism Is Accelerating Over Time: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analytic Review of 35 Years of College Student Data” by Thomas Curran, Andrew Hill, and Pia Marie Pose. Psychological Bulletin
DOI: 10.1037/bul0000518
Abstract
Perfectionism Is Accelerating Over Time: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analytic Review of 35 Years of College Student Data
This cross-temporal meta-analysis examined trends in perfectionism among college students over a 35-year span. The study asked whether self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism continued to rise, how higher-order dimensions (perfectionistic strivings versus concerns) changed across generations, whether macroeconomic indicators explain temporal differences, and whether links between perfectionism and psychopathology shifted over time.
Analyses of 307 samples including 82,939 students from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom showed linear increases in self-oriented perfectionism, concerns about mistakes, and doubts about actions. Socially prescribed perfectionism exhibited a quadratic pattern with marked acceleration beginning in the early 2000s. At the higher-order level, perfectionistic strivings rose steadily, while perfectionistic concerns followed a quadratic, accelerating trajectory.
Declining GDP per capita was associated with greater perfectionistic striving, and rising inequality corresponded with steeper increases in perfectionistic concerns. Correlations between perfectionism and psychopathology remained stable across time, indicating that higher perfectionism has consistently predicted elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety.
In sum, college students increasingly feel both external pressure from others and internal pressure to be flawless, alongside growing indecision, uncertainty, and sensitivity about making mistakes—trends that mirror broader economic and social shifts.