Perfectionism in youngsters significantly increased

Researchers suggest that perfectionism entails "an irrational desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others."

They analysed data from 41,641 American, Canadian and British college students from 164 samples who completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, a test for generational changes in perfectionism, from the late 1980s to 2016. They measured three types of perfectionism: self-oriented – an irrational desire to be perfect; socially prescribed – perceiving excessive expectations from others; and other-oriented – placing unrealistic standards on others.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, found that more recent generations of college students reported significantly higher scores for each form of perfectionism than earlier generations.

The rise in perfectionism among millennials is being driven by a number of factors, according to Curran. For example, raw data suggest that social media use pressures young adults to perfect themselves in comparison to others, which makes them dissatisfied with their bodies and increases social isolation.

The drive to earn money, pressure to get a good education and setting lofty career goals are other areas in which today's young people exhibit perfectionism.

In another example, Curran cited college students' drive to perfect their grades and compare them to their peers. These examples represent a rise in meritocracy among millennials, in which universities encourage competition among students to move up the ladder.