Clay Routledge

In my latest for @nytopinion, I discuss Gen Z historical nostalgia and what our Human Flourishing Lab team @ArchbridgeInst has discovered about it. nytimes.com/2025/08/24/opi…

.@clayroutledge argues that nostalgia - which is different from declinism - can be your friend: flourishingfriday.blog/p/nostalgia-ge…

If you think nostalgia is the enemy of progress, you might be confusing it with declinism. I break down the distinction in this week's Flourishing Friday. open.substack.com/pub/clayroutle…

I was interviewed by @BusinessInsider about my work on Gen Z historical nostalgia and what is says about the future young people want to build. A lot of young people are saying the future they want is a future where technology is present and continues to make our lives easier, but also where we are more present, where we're not just passively staring at screens, but actively engaging in the world. businessinsider.com/love-story-gen…

What were you like in the ‘90s? A recent social media trend driven mainly by Gen Z and Gen Alpha is prompting reflection and a yearning for a different time. “They think there’s something really cool about the pre-digital life — about the analog, more-tactile in-person life — and they’re trying to get in touch with that and find inspiration from it, to find balance in their own digital lives,” says Archbridge's @clayroutledge in an interview with @TODAYshow. Watch the full interview here: today.com/popculture/mus…

We live in an era dominated by cynical and divisive narratives about human nature and our shared future. Hollywood can help. My latest for @USATODAY with @PaulAnleitner on the power of movies. usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

Tonight at the Oscars, winners may be tempted to deliver political speeches. But only 11% of Americans say a celebrity has ever changed their mind on a political issue. Hollywood's real influence isn't in the speeches they give. It's in the films they make. New piece from me and @PaulAnleitner in @USATODAY. usatoday.com/story/opinion/…

I've seen people claim that Gen Z drinking less is an indicator of them being less social and less engaged in the real world. It's true that Gen Z is drinking less, but they are doing other things in the real world instead. For example, they are going to gyms and fitness classes or taking up hobbies like golf. And they still socialize at bars. They just drink less alcohol. Good @USATODAY piece from @blinfisher on these trends. usatoday.com/story/money/20…

Higher ed may be living through its own version of @tylercowen's "Average Is Over" experience. Enrollment isn't collapsing everywhere--it's sorting. Strong institutions are stable and growing; weaker ones have lost nearly half their students in just 15 years. The real question isn't college vs no college. It's good college vs bad college. (Chart via @prestoncooper93)

I'm back on @TODAYshow this morning discussing the psychology of 90s nostalgia. Viral Goo Goo Dolls Trend Asks ‘What Were You Like in the ‘90s?’ today.com/video/what-wer… via @TODAYshow

Americans are less divided on the economics of human progress and flourishing than we think. Check out this recent article from @clayroutledge @JustinTCallais in the @chicagotribune chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/opi…

"We found that the more people desire to live a meaningful life, the more they prioritize social goals and engage in prosocial behavior …. In other words, the need for meaning itself appears to orient people toward others, and treating others well in turn supports meaning."

New from me and my @ArchbridgeInst colleague @JustinCallais in the @chicagotribune. When you ask Americans whether free markets and entrepreneurship or government coordination and planning better advance progress, clear majorities of both Republicans and Democrats choose economic freedom. We're less divided on the economics of human progress and flourishing than we think. chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/opi…

New episode🚨 I sat down with @clayroutledge of the @ArchbridgeInst to talk meaning, work, and why “earned success” matters more than income alone. Watch here: youtu.be/TMZg-he3FZQ?si…

The Social Nature of Agency open.substack.com/pub/clayroutle…

We tend to think of agency in individual terms. But the people around us play a crucial role in fueling our motivation, building our confidence, and helping us follow through on our goals. This week's Flourishing Friday is about the social nature of agency.

How does hope fuel success? On this episode of the Empower Podcast, Dr. @clayroutledge examines how hope, meaning, and purpose redefine what success really looks like. Watch the full episode here: empowerms.org/dr-clay-routle…

If you're not following @HumanProgress, you're missing out--not on progress, but the best understanding of how things are getting better and why. Kudos @Marian_L_Tupy @chellivia

While interesting, when you actually ask people about the “ideas” behind these systems, they REALLY prefer largely free markets to solve social problems. @ArchbridgeInst Progress Pulse reveals this. @clayroutledge and I have a new op ed in Chicago Tribune on this 👇 chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/opi…