The Power of Refusal That Makes Me Happy

When we feel depressed, we barely move.
Looking at how we become depressed, when we are mildly depressed or sad, we can observe that we skip things we usually do or feel somewhat frustrated. When severely depressed, we suffer from emotional loss or feel intense frustration. When we become depressed this way, the primitive part of the brain sends a message to slow down most of the body's normal physiological functions needed for daily activities.

For early ancestors, a depressed state was actually advantageous during harsh environmental times. In difficult times, they had to reduce activity and endure with minimal functioning. Early ancestors who sat still in a depressed mood during such unavoidably frustrating times could save and preserve scarce resources and energy, thereby increasing their chances of survival until better times came. The depression you and I commonly experience usually lasts from a few hours to a few days. Even if we feel depressed and miserable, most of the time we can shake off that mood as time passes and we have some positive experiences.

However, in an affluent society like today's, depression and withdrawal do not favor survival. Because the surrounding conditions are not as physically harsh or burdensome as they were for early ancestors.

In the end, the psychological 'hibernation' mechanism that ancestors who endured harsh times evolved makes depression of little use to us.

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Topics: Human Relationships
Category: Wiki/Book