Success in our modern world is often determined by self-esteem: the high bank balance, the prestigious job title, or the picturesque life posted all over social media. Gen Zers are constantly exposed to a barrage of perceived success and to ongoing economic hurdles, which significantly affect their mental well-being. This fear of becoming poor is somewhat universal. While it currently lacks clinical recognition in medical or psychological literature, “peniaphobia” has rapidly become the definition for the anxiety it brings. The term “peniaphobia” describes an intense, consuming fear of poverty and represents something very real: the crushing financial anxiety that has...
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