Therapist warns Gen-Z and Alpha teens are missing personality trait that changes their entire lives

The next generations are going out into the world without being equipped a very important personality trait, a family therapist has warned.

Expert Hattie Awe believes that the cultural shift that has taken place since us lot were growing up has resulted in teenagers missing out on a very valuable life skill.

She reckons that the impact of this will be very 'detrimental' to the emotional wellbeing of Gen Z and Gen Alpha teenagers - so you might want to nip it in the bud while there is still time.

According to Awe, there's a worrying trend on the rise among young people...they are just not bored enough.

Although some folks might presume this can only be a good thing, the family therapist based in Chicago, Illinois, reckons it will come back to bite teens later on down the line.

That's because she believes it is robbing adolescents of their sense of exploration and adventure.

The 'constructive boredom' that older generations enjoyed has disappeared these days, according to Awe (Getty Stock Image)

Back in our day, if we were overcome by boredom and had nothing to do, we would find something to do; whether it was picking up a book and learning something new, throwing ourselves into a wacky hobby or simply socialising.

Alternatively, you could just sit there and daydream - and allowing your mind to wander in this way has led some of us to our brightest ideas.

Awe describes this as being in a state of 'constructive boredom' and she believes that kids these days don't have enough of it thanks to external stimulation constantly being at their fingertips.

Explaining how it benefits people, Awe told Newsweek: "To sit with boredom is a prerequisite to finding your purpose.

"Aimless time creates art, fashion, discourse, revelations, understanding, perspective, it allows us to wander into what drives us. Emotional insight and reflection happen when we are allotted time to sit with it and explore."

The 'detrimental' impact

Rather than embracing the dullness of their day, youngsters simply pick up their smartphones to distract them.

Awe reckons that having constant stimulation on standby has 'effectively removed any time intended for emotional processing, insight or reflection' for the next generations.

Instead of using their imaginations and getting creative, adolescents can just sit and scroll the day away.

The therapist also believes that the reliance upon social media among young people is even warping the way that they think.

"With the rise of social media, they are no longer comparing their thoughts to their friends, but millions of people," Awe said.

She reckons that youngsters having smartphones at their fingertips is stunting their creativity (Getty Stock Image)

"Not only does this minimise the tolerance we as humans can spend with emotions and without distraction, but it floods individual with reactions of others," she explained.

"For teenagers, it can be hard to differentiate what other people think versus the individual ingesting the content."

Awe also believes these next generations won't exactly be as young, wild and free as we were, as they are likely conscious of the digital paper trail they might leave behind.

Her advice for parents is simple - get your kids to put their phones down.

She suggested they should only use it when needed or selecting specific times of the day to allow yourself to have a good old scroll. Otherwise, the 30-year-old suggests basking in boredom and seeing what comes of it.

"Train the brain to find comfort in existing, without music or stimulation, just watching," Awe said. "Pick up a hobby, it could be something creative, active, intellectual, or something to do with others."