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Absolutely agree. I've been reading a lot about this recently, recommend:

Lost Connections by Johann Hari
The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg
Better Together by Robert Putnam

I am reading Lost Connections by Johann Hari - interesting look into depression and anxiety

Read Lost Connections by Johann Hari recently. It’s a touch repetitive but a quick and easy read. And I think it hits some important notes on why we might be seeing this. A lot has changed about how we live and that deserves more attention.

You'd probably enjoy Lost Connections by Johann Hari. I recommend the audiobook.

I agree. The book Lost Connections goes in depth into how all antidepressants are either same as placebo or better by a statistically negligible amount. (Oversimplified but the book does a good job).

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depressio...

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

About the sources of depression and anxiety of the current society. Interesting book backed with a lot of studies.

In this article the author covers a few areas to consider in managing mental health:

Sleep,
Diet,
Exercise,
Stress Management,
Exogenous Compounds (from coffee to melatonin to Prozac, and anything in between)

These are certainly important factors, and I think we need to look much more broadly at underlying factors than just these (or just drugs).

I've been reading about mental health issues for years with my own ups and downs, and the best book I've read on this topic so far is Lost Connections by Johann Hari.

In the book he describes the ways modern life has disconnected us from a lot of what humans find meaningful, and given that it's not surprising that rates of depression and anxiety have skyrocketed. For me, learning what those underlying causes are has meant I could start making a conscious effort to address them in my own life. It's a lot of work, but it's been far more effective than just trying to make myself feel better by improving my mood with exercise, sleep etc.

I think as a society we've become so good at dealing with symptoms, but we're afraid to spend the time to look deeply and investigate causes. Politicians think that riots are the problem and if they stop the riots with force the problem goes away. But riots are just a symptom of a sick system.

The book Lost Connections goes in-depth into this.

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depressio...

I'd recommend a book that dives into this topic before downvoting: Lost Connections by Johann Harl

I know I've found myself much happier going social media/online dating free.

Social media is very good at making us angry. A debate on starter pokemon can quickly turn into slurs being thrown around. I have a few social circles I remain engaged in via zoom, and pre Covid I was meeting people at alumni events, etc , left and right.

It's not particularly easy to re engage with the real world if your way deep in the rabbit whole of social media. Another way to look at it. Online you become the worst thing you've ever posted , once you identify with that negativity it feeds upon itself. You end up in a death spiral of your own self-hatred.

Why give others the right to rip you apart. Why rip yourself a part on a daily basis. I don't think I've ever convinced anyone to my point of view on social media.

I have been left feeling distraught over some of the toxic things said to me though. I'll even say people are outright meaner online. In real life your friends will just distance themselves if you aren't adding to them.

Online it's not uncommon to see users creating various accounts just to attack each other.

The only way to win is not to play.

I also suggest reading Lost Connections, it goes more into detail on the need for real community.

I'm happier and healthier that these conversations are happening; I'm not alone.

Facebook is clearly problematic, and I've been suspicious of the negative effects of Instagram and Hinge (dating app). The former would make me jealous/depressed/frustrated as I compare myself to glimpses of my peers supposedly winning at life. The latter would make me less outgoing in real life, b/c somehow flipping through dating profiles satisfied an underlying desire to meet new people.

I highly recommend Johann Hari's work: "Lost Connections" book [1], Sam Harris and Ezra Klein podcast episodes [2, 3], TED talk [4].

[1] https://thelostconnections.com/

[2] https://samharris.org/podcasts/142-addiction-depression-mean...

[3] https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-ezra-klein-show/e/5...

[4] https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_y...

Lost Connections is a fantastic book on this.

While it's definitely worth a read, the author's core argument is eroding community structures have led to an explosion in mental illness.

He has a very interesting tale of a man in a small village who is essentially supported by everyone else there and with that is helped

Compared to the typical Western solution assuming your poor or homeless neighbor is the responsibility of some outside entity.

Online interactions also have a tendency to be very impersonal , and very mean. I don't really use any social media aside from this ( although that will change when I start promoting my side project game, I'll never speak outside of just promoting the game or asking for community feedback).

I'm very much looking forward to a post-corona world, my hope would be that more people embrace this beautiful world of ours instead of arguing about which movie casted who on Reddit all day.

I think you're missing my point, church is one of a multitude of ways to be involved in your community, and being involved in your community is the best way to meet a partner. Aside from that, being a part of a community is a fundamental part of mental health. Lost connections is a great book on this topic.

And come on, you couldn't find a better source than an online dating site when coming up with courtship statistics ? Overall marriage rates are at all time lows. Strange how this coincides with the advent of online dating.

https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/...