Enjoy Your Depressions, My Friends

. . . in most instances, depression should not be thought of as a disorder at all. In an article recently published in Psychological Review, we argue that depression is in fact an adaptation, a state of mind which brings real costs, but also brings real benefits. . . .

Depressed people often think intensely about their problems. These thoughts are called ruminations; they are persistent and depressed people have difficulty thinking about anything else. Numerous studies have also shown that this thinking style is often highly analytical. They dwell on a complex problem, breaking it down into smaller components, which are considered one at a time.

This analytical style of thought, of course, can be very productive. Each component is not as difficult, so the problem becomes more tractable. Indeed, when you are faced with a difficult problem, such as a math problem, feeling depressed is often a useful response that may help you analyze and solve it. For instance, in some of our research, we have found evidence that people who get more depressed while they are working on complex problems in an intelligence test tend to score higher on the test.

Analysis requires a lot of uninterrupted thought, and depression coordinates many changes in the body to help people analyze their problems without getting distracted. . . .

Many other symptoms of depression make sense in light of the idea that analysis must be uninterrupted. The desire for social isolation, for instance . . .

. . . if depressive rumination were harmful, as most clinicians and researchers assume, then bouts of depression should be slower to resolve when people are given interventions that encourage rumination, such as having them write about their strongest thoughts and feelings. However, the opposite appears to be true. Several studies have found that expressive writing promotes quicker resolution of depression, and they suggest that this is because depressed people gain insight into their problems.

There is another suggestive line of evidence. Various studies have found that people in depressed mood states are better at solving social dilemmas. . . .

Depression is nature’s way of telling you that you’ve got complex social problems that the mind is intent on solving. Therapies should try to encourage depressive rumination rather than try to stop it, and they should focus on trying to help people solve the problems that trigger their bouts of depression.

Depression's Evolutionary Roots

I find this article fascinating in its own right, but even more so in light of its timing. Last week I attended a training called "Emotional Fitness." In many ways the presenter's point was so obvious and common sense as to be a waste of time. Often the only thing we can control in life is our attitude--"most important is not what happens to you, but how you talk to yourself about what happens to you"--and if we can learn to be positive in our approach to life, life will be a more positive experience for us--“it’s not how you feel that determines how you act, but rather how you act that determines how you feel.” Also: "It’s not the event but the meaning we give the event that determines our response." Really, it could be summed up with the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Yet what's easy to say is not always easy to accomplish. My problem with this kind of thing is that it makes sense when we're happy, but is just stupid when we're feeling negative, and it doesn't seem to acknowledge the reality of the full range of human emotions. I was turned off by the training at first, but eventually drawn in because he acknowledged this can be hard to do and offered actual strategies. I even realized I've been making a similar point with many of my previous posts, for instance this. I've since been working on trying to improve my attitude and being a happier person. So . . . Is it possible to feel positive about being depressed?