Steven Pinker: Believe it or not, you’re lucky to be alive in 2018

Impact

If you base your understanding of the world on all the horrifying headlines you see in the news, no one would blame you for thinking the world was burning down around you.

But Harvard psychologist and author Steven Pinker wants you to know that it’s the best time in human history to be alive — and there’s no contest.

“For all of the terrifying developments in the world, if you had to pick a time to be born, you’d pick now,” Pinker said.

And if you don’t believe him, he’s got the charts to back it up.

In an exclusive video op-ed for Mic, Pinker makes the surprising case for the present. Watch it above.