In exploring their newfound freedom, today’s college students may be developing an unexpected and potentially unhealthy habit of perfectionism.
Canadian and British researchers recently analyzed rates of self-reported perfectionism among 82,939 American, Canadian, and British college students from 1989 to 2024. They found increased rates of both perfectionistic concerns, such as fear of failure and negative evaluation by others, and perfectionistic striving, which is the motivation to set standards and struggle to achieve them.
Both types of perfectionism are associated with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, among other things, according to the report.
Other studies have already found high rates of both among students. For example, a 2026 study by United Health Group found that about two-thirds of college students reported being able to cope with anxiety and stress in 2025. 44% said they were also able to cope with depression.
“Young people no longer experience success as simply something they want to achieve,” says Jennifer Wallace, author of the best-selling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It.
“Too often, they experience it as proof of their worth,” she says.
Here’s why experts think perfectionism is on the rise among college students and what young people can do to cope with the pressures of perfectionism.
“The culprit is not alone.”
The big picture is that “there is no single culprit” in the rise of perfectionism, Wallace said.
Researchers have found, for example, that there is a link between a slowdown in GDP per capita and an increase in perfectionistic striving. They also found a link between rising inequality and rates of perfectionistic concerns. As the economy slows, young people feel they need to work harder to change their lives financially, and that each failure costs them more money, the researchers found.
As of the past decade, Katherine Morgan Schaffler, a psychotherapist and author of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: The Path to Peace and Power, adds social media and its constant access to people’s seemingly well-groomed lives to its many influences. Opportunities to feel like you’re “failing” “come up more frequently,” she says.
Ultimately, the driving forces are “widening economic inequality, uncertainty about the future, fiercely competitive schools and workplaces, constant social comparison, and increasingly anxious parenting,” Wallace said.
All of this, she says, makes young people feel like one mistake could cost them their future.
“Please seek help as soon as possible.”
As college students navigate the pressures of early adulthood, Wallace recommends keeping the following in mind:
“Before you start a task, decide what ‘good enough’ looks like,” she says. “Not every task requires the same amount of time and emotional energy.” “Invest in your relationships. Decades of research shows that our resilience depends on our relationships.” “Seek help early. Seeking support is not proof that you’re a failure. It’s one of the skills you need to become a capable adult.”
In moments of stress, Schaeffler also encourages students to ask themselves fundamental questions: “What is our common humanity here?” Has anyone else had a similar experience?
“This is simply a question to remind you that you are not alone in what you are going through,” she says. “In fact, it’s so common that people are experiencing it right now, and it’s not like five or millions of people.”
