It seems that dissatisfaction with life is now the new middle class syndrome which particularly affects the younger single worker. The reason is the increasing complexity which governs our lives in the 21st century consumer society.  This very statement was one of the main conclusions of recent reports, called The Dissatisfaction Syndrome: “Why We Are Never Satisfied and What It Means for What We Buy”.

The survey found that despite workers living in times of affluence in which our choices are endless, workers are still miserable. Nearly 55% of British adults said they felt unhappy or depressed in the previous year. Where previously workers were likely to indulge in conspicuous consumption to make themselves feel a bit better after a bad day chained to their office desk, they now finally wake up to the fact that "retail therapy" was any more than a fallacy.

So what exactly is causing the new problem? It seems employers are currently still offering their staff better rewards, larger creative desk spaces at work, ergonomic office chairs and office desks, the introduction of initiatives such as dress down on Friday and duvet days, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough.

"What people are obviously looking for is job satisfaction, but I think it’s becoming more and more difficult to get it. I suspect, on the whole, it’s becoming harder to enjoy your job because of all the pressures," says one interviewee.

So what is the source of the pressure?

One interviewee said,

"Nowadays technology means working on a computer all day long and many office jobs mean you are chained to an office desk and the technology involved is mind-boggling and the speed is frightening. The pressure that people are under is not pleasant, and the competition is so intense."