15 books
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6 voters
Epidemic
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Fantasizing about a world without low mood is a vain exercise. Low moods have existed in some form across human cultures for many thousands of years. One way to appreciate why these states have enduring value is to ponder what would happen if we had no capacity for them. Just as animals with no capacity for anxiety were gobbled up by predators long ago, without the capacity for sadness, we and other animals would probably commit rash acts and repeat costly mistakes. Physical pain teaches a child
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― The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic
― The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic
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Our current cultural ethos is that achieving happiness is like achieving other goals. If we simply work hard at it, we can master happiness, just as we can figure out how to use new computer software, play the piano or learn Spanish. However, if the goal of becoming happier is different from these other goals, efforts devoted to augmenting happiness may backfire, disappointing -and potentially depressing- us because we can't achieve our expected goal.
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― The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic
― The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic
A place to discuss or recommend books about fictional pandemics and epidemics. Zombie books are …more
2 members,
last active 8 years ago
The world has reached its end. People are dying, but coming back to life and eating the flesh of…more
1 member,
last active 11 years ago
You've heard of Swine Flu. You've heard of bat flu. But then, a bat, infected with bat flu, was …more
16 members,
last active 12 years ago
