Among those polled, 42% have low or average emotional resilience, while just 43% feel satisfied with life.
Skaistė Varnienė, market research manager at Tele2, says Lithuanians experience the same number of sleep problems, risky drinking and traumatic events as the rest of the European Union’s (EU) population. However, they have lower emotional resilience that could be explained by a higher dependence on social media, which is most pronounced in one age group, according to her.
"This is mainly the case for young adults under 35, for whom social networks are a crucial part of their daily lives," she said.
The number of people who complain of poor emotional and physical well-being in Lithuania is one third higher than in other EU countries, according to Varnienė. This cannot be blamed solely on the Lithuanian way of life. Twice as many adults in Lithuania are at risk of anxiety disorders and depression than elsewhere in Europe, she said.
Inga Truskauskaitė, PhD, senior researcher and associate professor at VU, observed that emotional resilience is not an innate quality, but a skill that can be developed.
According to the researcher, more Lithuanians have seen a psychologist compared to residents of other EU countries. As many as 27% of Lithuanians went to a psychologist at least once in their lives.
However, the use of other help options is quite rare in the country. For example, only 7% of the respondents said they used self-help websites or mobile apps. By the way, risky use of social networks is twice as common in Lithuania as in other EU countries.
"Excessive engagement in social networking sites can prompt people to compare themselves with others and affect self-confidence in this way. It is important to monitor your habits, screen time and consciously limit your scrolling. There is no need to give up social networking completely, as it can help you to stay in touch with others, but it is also worth making time to be off the social network," the VU researcher said.
The survey on Lithuanian society’s emotional resilience was carried out by UAB Norstat in 2024. The pollster surveyed more than 2,000 Lithuanians aged between 18 and 74 who use the internet.