WALTHAM, MA—Signaling a major shift in demographic preferences, a study published Wednesday by Brandeis University found that fewer millennials want to live. “In contrast to previous generations that regarded living as a core part of their identity, millennials as a whole seem indifferent or even highly resistant to it,” said lead author Ellen Towey, attributing the change in mentality among those born between 1980 and 1995 not to laziness or insufficient effort on their part, but rather a pervasive feeling that living is simply no longer within reach. “Despite seeing their parents and grandparents live for years, millennials are often so pessimistic about their own prospects for existence that many have lost interest in walking the earth altogether.” Towey went on to say that without adequate opportunities to live at present, some millennials are in the meantime exploring more viable alternatives.

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