Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

Anne Dalke's picture

Depressingly Easy

While I'm here (and in a chatty mood) I thought I'd also pass on a link to an article from the August/September 2008 issue of Scientific American Mind, which Aybala showed me today. It's called "Depressingly Easy," and here's a brief overview:

  • Rates of depression have risen in recent decades, at the same time that people are enjoying time-saving conveniences such as microwave ovens, e-mail, prepared meals, and machines for washing clothes and mowing lawns.
  • People of earlier generations, whose lives were characterized by greater efforts just to survive, para­dox­ically, were mentally healthier. Human ancestors also evolved in conditions where hard physical work was nece­ssary to thrive.
  • By denying our brains the rewards that come from ­anticipating and executing complex tasks with our hands, the author argues, we undercut our mental well-being.
Something to think about, as you begin researching your papers about national health habits....

 

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
7 + 11 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.