Analysis Finds Rising Perfectionism Among College Students, Tied to Anxiety and Depression

Other studies have already found high rates of both among students. Around two-thirds of college students reported managing anxiety or stress in 2025, according to a 2026 survey by United Health Group. Forty-four percent said they also managed depression.

Jennifer Wallace, author of the bestselling book 'Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It,' said the shift reflects a deeper change in how young people view success. 'Young people no longer experience success as simply something they hope to achieve,' Wallace said. 'Too often, they experience it as proof that they are worthy.'

Wallace said there is not one culprit for the rise in perfectionism. Researchers found associations between slowing GDP per capita and rising perfectionistic strivings, and between rising inequality and rates of perfectionistic concerns. The suggestion is that as the economy slows, young people feel both that they need to work harder to improve their financial position and that more is riding on every misstep, according to the report.

Katherine Morgan Schafler, a psychotherapist and author of 'The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power,' would add social media and constant access to people's seemingly manicured lives to the mix of influences. Opportunities to feel like you are 'failing' are 'presented to you more frequently,' she said.

Ultimately, the driving forces are 'the convergence of rising economic inequality, uncertainty about the future, intensely competitive schools and workplaces, constant social comparison, and increasingly anxious parenting,' Wallace said. All of it makes young people feel like one mistake could cost them their future, she said.

As college students navigate the pressure of early adulthood, Wallace recommends deciding before beginning a task what 'good enough' will look like. 'Not every assignment deserves the same amount of time and emotional energy,' she said. She also recommends investing in relationships, citing decades of research finding that resilience rests on relationships, and asking for help early. 'Seeking support is not evidence that you are failing; it is one of the skills required to become a capable adult,' she said.

In a moment of stress, Schafler encourages students to ask themselves a grounding question: What is the common humanity here? Have other people gone through similar experiences? 'It's a question that's simply supposed to remind you that you are not alone in the experience that you're having,' she said. 'That it is, in fact, quite common, and people are having it right now, and not like five people, like, millions of people.'