“why fish don’t exist” – a pretty fun book, honestly:
Perhaps the greatest gift ever bestowed on us by evolution is the ability to believe we are more powerful than we are. It’s a hard lot being a human, these psychologists explain. You walk around with the knowledge that the world is fundamentally uncaring, that no matter how hard you work there is no promise of success, that you are competing against billions, that you are vulnerable to the elements, and that everything you ever love will eventually be destroyed. A little lie can take the edge off, can help you keep charging forward into the gauntlet of life, where you sometimes, accidentally prevail. (100)
The 1990s brought…a statement in a National Institute of Mental Health report that “considerable evidence suggests positive psychological benefits for people who believe their future will be rosier than they have any right to expect. Such optimism keeps people in a positive mood, motivates them to work toward future goals, fosters creative, productive work, and gives them a sense of being in control of their destiny.” (100)
GravyBear28 on
Why couldn’t I just be an apolitical dumbass who only cares about sports and Marvel movies. What mountain of sins did I commit in a past life to be reincarnated into a liberal loser
erasmus_phillo on
I’ve actually linked a study in the DT that claims that liberals aren’t actually more depressed than conservatives, they are just more likely to admit that they are… because ‘caring about one’s mental health’ is more likely to be lib-coded, making conservatives ideologically polarized against that very concept. Edit: It seems that Derek referenced this very graph in his article, it’s a good read.
Yea because all of those closeted conservatives like Lindsay Graham are so happy with their lives. Andrew Tate literally won’t go into a barber shop because he’s terrified of getting gutted by a straight razor. Elon Musk has billions and is for the most part alone. Look at any of Trumps tweets. Fear and anger are not a reflection of happiness.
Also what kind of happiness are we talking about? I was a hell of alot happier politically in 2020, but i was also broke as hell. Now im not broke and just pretending politics doesn’t exist.
Richnsassy22 on
Caring about other people can be demoralizing.
If they did this same study in the 1840s, I suspect abolitionists would be more depressed than slave owners. Plantation owners were free from the “burden” of caring about human suffering.
GreatnessToTheMoon on
Because they care more about things they can’t control
GRRA-1 on
Ignorance is bliss?
Fruitofbread on
Ok this is actually an interesting and nuanced take on a debate that has been done before.
I thought this was particularly interesting:
> But these authors found the exact opposite. Higher depression scores were associated with increased support for Trump in 2024
> The relationship between higher depression scores and higher support for Trump was almost entirely a function of high-depression Democrats shifting strongly toward Trump. Among the least depressed Democrats, Joe Biden had a +43 net approval in 2024. Among the most depressed Democrats, his approval plummeted to just +9.
eman9416 on
Virtue signaling
They aren’t actually more depressed as so many commenters have pointed out. But they want to signal their displeasure and this is how they do it. It’s 100% performative
10 Comments
“why fish don’t exist” – a pretty fun book, honestly:
Perhaps the greatest gift ever bestowed on us by evolution is the ability to believe we are more powerful than we are. It’s a hard lot being a human, these psychologists explain. You walk around with the knowledge that the world is fundamentally uncaring, that no matter how hard you work there is no promise of success, that you are competing against billions, that you are vulnerable to the elements, and that everything you ever love will eventually be destroyed. A little lie can take the edge off, can help you keep charging forward into the gauntlet of life, where you sometimes, accidentally prevail. (100)
The 1990s brought…a statement in a National Institute of Mental Health report that “considerable evidence suggests positive psychological benefits for people who believe their future will be rosier than they have any right to expect. Such optimism keeps people in a positive mood, motivates them to work toward future goals, fosters creative, productive work, and gives them a sense of being in control of their destiny.” (100)
Why couldn’t I just be an apolitical dumbass who only cares about sports and Marvel movies. What mountain of sins did I commit in a past life to be reincarnated into a liberal loser
I’ve actually linked a study in the DT that claims that liberals aren’t actually more depressed than conservatives, they are just more likely to admit that they are… because ‘caring about one’s mental health’ is more likely to be lib-coded, making conservatives ideologically polarized against that very concept. Edit: It seems that Derek referenced this very graph in his article, it’s a good read.
https://preview.redd.it/1vo9xuaylltf1.png?width=858&format=png&auto=webp&s=49f79e95cfe7d522583b974a4a6486f2c85b1ca3
Bluesky and Reddit
Yea because all of those closeted conservatives like Lindsay Graham are so happy with their lives. Andrew Tate literally won’t go into a barber shop because he’s terrified of getting gutted by a straight razor. Elon Musk has billions and is for the most part alone. Look at any of Trumps tweets. Fear and anger are not a reflection of happiness.
Also what kind of happiness are we talking about? I was a hell of alot happier politically in 2020, but i was also broke as hell. Now im not broke and just pretending politics doesn’t exist.
Caring about other people can be demoralizing.
If they did this same study in the 1840s, I suspect abolitionists would be more depressed than slave owners. Plantation owners were free from the “burden” of caring about human suffering.
Because they care more about things they can’t control
Ignorance is bliss?
Ok this is actually an interesting and nuanced take on a debate that has been done before.
I thought this was particularly interesting:
> But these authors found the exact opposite. Higher depression scores were associated with increased support for Trump in 2024
> The relationship between higher depression scores and higher support for Trump was almost entirely a function of high-depression Democrats shifting strongly toward Trump. Among the least depressed Democrats, Joe Biden had a +43 net approval in 2024. Among the most depressed Democrats, his approval plummeted to just +9.
Virtue signaling
They aren’t actually more depressed as so many commenters have pointed out. But they want to signal their displeasure and this is how they do it. It’s 100% performative