I think what’s new(ish) is that working no longer improves your life. Go back a few decades and having a job meant you could save money to buy a house/car/vacation, you could go out and do things etc. Working meant quality of life, and it was worth it. Nowadays a large number of jobs don’t provide that quality of life anymore. You can work full time and still struggle to afford the basics of living, forget any quality of life expenditures, and it no longer seems worth it.

That’s been my personal experience. I’m in my mid-40s and I’ve had a lot of different jobs, and for most of my life I was a great employee. Always going the extra mile, always putting in extra hours when needed, because my job made my life visibly better. But right now, I’m making the most money I’ve ever made and I’m the poorest I’ve ever felt. I have a great employer and I’m doing a job I enjoy, but no matter how hard I try I just can’t find that extra enthusiasm anymore. I have a hard time just doing the bare minimum. It’s not by choice, every day I tell myself I’m going to try harder than yesterday, but I just can’t find it. And I think it’s because I no longer feel like I’m working towards anything. Things aren’t good, and I don’t see them getting better, and it’s destroyed my motivation.