“Don’t worry, be happy” has become a common saying nowadays, but it’s also a load of bull—at least according to these scientists.
Paul W. Andrews, post-doctoral fellow in behavioral ecology, and psychiatrist J. Anderson Thomson Jr. say that depression’s evolutionary roots suggest that it is not a biological dysfunction, but a prevailing and beneficial adaptation. In layman terms, depression is a good thing. Individuals who define depression as a disease of the mind or have fallen victim to depression themselves will probably be skeptical. However, when considered from an evolutionary perspective, it begins to make more sense.
Depression occurs in 30 to 50 per cent of the global population and has always been seen as something of an evolutionary conundrum. How could evolution let depression slide, if it produced so many disadvantages and offered no advantages? Andrews and Thomson’s review article in Scientific American attempts to crack this puzzle, proposing that depression is not a disorder, but a state of mind, yielding significant benefits at dire costs.
One of the studies examined the role of the 5HT1A receptor in the brain. This receptor binds to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in mood regulation and depression. The study found that when rodents were exposed to stressful stimuli, the ones lacking this receptor portrayed less depressive symptoms.
The structural composition of the functional domain of 5HT1A in rats and humans was found to be 99 per cent similar. Since the receptor’s function is based on its structure, mutations to its functional domain alter its utility. This implies that its function is important enough that natural selection maintains the receptor’s structural integrity, and that were it to accumulate many mutations, it would have devastating implications on an organism’s fitness. This suggests that the ability to become depressed is vital for survival.
Great! Depression
Depressed people often spend copious amounts of time brooding over problems. They engage in what are known as “ruminations.” These ruminations are recurring, unrelenting thoughts on the causes and consequences of a complex problem. Several studies have shown that the thought processes of ruminations are highly analytical in nature. An intricate problem is meticulously broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces and viewed from various angles. This allows the individual to systematically construct a collection of available options.
If the current psychological theory of the harmful effect of ruminations is true, depressive episode would be exacerbated rather than alleviated on inducing critical thoughts in patients. In one study, however, researchers had depressed people engage in critical thinking by having them write journals, cogitating on their thoughts and feelings. This kind of activity is called expressive writing and promoted a quicker release from depression, possibly by providing insight.
However, this says nothing as to whether the content of their ruminations are of actual importance. Let’s admit it, no one likes a sulker, especially one without a valid cause. The stigmatization of depressed people and the stereotype that they are moody or slackers allows them little tolerance from the general public. Despite this misconception, most depressed individuals report ruminations over important problems, not just random thoughts they choose to colour in with their own pessimistic shade of black.
Unhappy? You’ve Got Problems
Depression is your body’s way of telling you to “get down (in the emotional sense) and get to business.” Negative emotions draw attention to problems that have the potential to cause mental or bodily harm, and are induced when a solution to a problem is unknown, or when progress towards an answer is too slow. In this way, depression is a lot like physical pain. U of T psychology professor John Vervaeke says, “Depression in humans hijacks the machinery animals use when they are wounded or hurt. It makes them withdraw themselves from circulation, to ruminate on the problem until they find a possible solution.” During this time, all other things lose their salience.
Depression offers the focus required for tackling complicated problems and reducing distractibility. To maintain this intense focus, neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain must fire continuously. This is a mentally exhausting task and damages neurons in the long term. Studies show that the 5HT1A receptor functions to provide energy to sustain this neurological bombardment and prevent brain cell destruction, allowing ruminations to persist without disrupting attention or the cognitive apparatus.
Despite the lack of brain damage, there is still damage to quality of life. Anhedonia (the inability to take pleasure from normally pleasurable activities), low self-esteem, and social isolation are common struggles for depressives.
Embrace Your Inner Emo
Happy people usually don’t spend profuse amounts of time questioning their insecurities and interrogating the status quo. They are happy and they lack the incentive to loiter in the scary, unmapped territory of their own minds. On the other hand, the depressed live purely in their minds in a self-inflicted torture zone, in a state where there is nothing left to lose. This pushes many to the brink of insanity, but also harbours in it the potential for greatness.
However, this does not mean that you should self-induce a bout of depression. Something that could end in psychosis or suicide should not be romanticized. Clinical depression is a serious condition with intense suffering lasting up to a lifetime. It is advantageous at moderate levels, but the full-blown shebang often ends in disaster. Psychological intervention should aim at encouraging ruminations in expressive writing, and therapies should focus on solving the patient’s problem at its roots, rather than medicating away the symptoms. After all, depression is not just a brain blooper, but an integral and intelligent mechanism aimed at dealing with complex problems.
There is a critical need for this reflective sadness and we will deprive ourselves of its benefits if we impulsively jump into a pool of SSRIs (a.k.a. happy pills). Perhaps the next time you think that you’re depressed, try and look on the bright side. A negative attitude may be just what you need to pave your way to that “A” grade. Knowing that may be enough for you to “turn that frown upside down”—or maybe you’d rather it didn’t.
