Book Review by Adrianna Woodburn
Published in June 2020
How do we understand depression and why is it so prevalent in our society? Johann Hari’s Lost Connections Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and the Unexpected Solutions explores how community can save our depressed culture and give us a fighting chance in a materialistic world. Beginning with his own decade long struggle with anti-depressants Hari sparks discussion around what even constitutes an anti-depressant. He encourages us to understand how depression can cause heartache, especially when we live in a materialistic world. Hari encourages a radical rethinking. This isn’t your everyday depression text as it sparks meaningful and thought-provoking discussions. Hari reflects on western culture and how it has negated foundational concepts of life producing an utterly disconnected culture to the point where we can’t comprehend human suffering (43). Hari begins this skillful unraveling of depression and anxiety and how truly, both are human responses to life going wrong (53). Hari returns to ideas throughout the chapters building one by one, crafting a skyscraper of depression and reality in a materialistic world while conveying that community can form the foundation of psychological health. He explores how depression isn’t merely a chemical imbalance in one’s brain but rather cause for much bigger concerns. He writes, “you are suffering from a social and spiritual imbalance in how we live” (257). Our very accumulation of possessions and independence has pushed us far away from a meaningful life and right into depression. So how do we navigate a solution out of depression? Well, this will require a lot of work and exploration of our understanding of life and community.
Through several intriguing case studies Hari demonstrates the foundational problem of depression and our western way of digesting it. An aspect that stood out the most was a study exploring obese individuals. Hari notes the obese individuals for one particular study developed depression/anxiety not from their weight. Instead, their weight was a coping mechanism or solution for their depression and other mental health problems sometimes arising from abuse. Moreover, obesity only covered up what Hari terms as “junk values” (97) which when broken down suggest an overtly materialistic culture leads to depression. Further, said depression turns into more spending, and more depression. As these junk values come to the surface even more problems are illuminated and, as this study demonstrated, sometimes those problems are covered up with obesity. Hari urges us to consider not what is wrong, but what has happened to us (115). Tim Kasser writes in The High Price of Materialism that materialism burdens the soul which eventually creates strain and stress (xi). As we exist in a culture based around materialistic goals, depression reaches new heights and feelings of isolation rise. Through a newfound community these individuals were able to bridge connections and recognize that their feelings and experiences were “normal”. As we establish a sense of community self-love can emerge and reconfigure our culture.
Additionally, Hari explores a community in Berlin which sought out more affordable rent. The neighbourbood was on the verge of collapsing but through a street protest a remarkably diverse community was born. In a neighbourhood where people originally ignored one another, a young man became friends with a strict retired teacher and devoutly religious individuals opened their homes to LGBTQ+ people. This protest brought forth autonomy for the individuals. Their homes and neighbourhood was brought back to life through community. Neighbours opened their doors to one another and accepted each other and Nuriye (the first protestor) chose not to take her own life. Once this neighbourhood began to value community, their lives were altered completely and many opened up about their depression. Through their community the neighbours where able to become happier people. This just furthers the notion that those with less materialistic ideologies and deeper relationships are happier (Kasser 5). The neighbourhood became something more than a strip of houses.
Hari’s biggest take away is not something simple or necessarily easy to encapsulate, yet it boils down to a comprehensive idea: if we want to live a fuller life we need a greater sense of control, a strong fulfilling community, happiness and security. Hari demonstrates through several unique examples that when individuals have more control and a strong community, depression and anxiety was treated or was very low to begin with. Kasser supports these notions as well by demonstrating how materialism actually works against our very conception of satisfaction and psychological health (3). So, instead of embracing the attitude of working for the weekend and filling our homes with stuff, a community and living within our means presents an even greater beauty: a life with less depression and more connection. Depression will not be something we can solve overnight, and it won’t be something we can do alone. In fact, it will require a complete rethinking of our culture. Hari writes, “My desire for a solution that was private and personal – the psychological equivalent of a pill – was in fact a symptom of my depression and anxiety in the first place” (183).
