Dear Readers:
Welcome to the Lifting Depression website. In this book, I’ve gathered information from my teaching, neuroscience research, family, and day-to-day living to generate a unique comprehensive view of the mental disorder known as depression.
The media so often tell us that the cause of this complex disorder is simple: depression is due to a chemical imbalance that is corrected by taking antidepressants. But, in the midst of a multibillion dollar antidepressant industry, depression rates are higher than ever. This startling observation suggests that there is more to the depression story than the current antidepressant ads suggest. I searched the biomedical literature and, after conducting relevant research with rodents, came upon a unique explanation of the increased depression rates in contemporary society. Although it is not likely we have experienced significant changes in our brains over the past century, it is clear that our lifestyles have changed dramatically. In our increasingly automated society, we exert less physical effort to obtain life's important resources than our grandparents and great grandparents.
For a brain that evolved to move the body around in complex ways to interact with the world around us, our increasingly effortless lifestyles result in an unengaged brain that receives few reminders that we have meaningful control over our environments. Our brains' interpretation of a lack of control in our increasingly chaotic lives leads to greater stress and anxiety that often culminates in the symptoms of depression. Incorporating physical activity that leads to tangible meaningful rewards in our lives, something I call effort-driven rewards, can act as a form of a mental vitamin that builds emotional resiliency. Even better, tasks that utilize our hands are especially effective considering that a large proportion of our brains' "real estate" is directed toward their movement. Thus, the "chores" that were a necessary component of our grandparent's lives likely lifted their emotions in powerful ways.
