Pages: 336

Chapters: Introduction, 22 chapters, conclusion

Time of Day to Read: Daylight hours

Format: eBook – Libby

First Print: 2018

I really like Johann Hari’s style of writing. He breaks hard to understand concepts down into easy to digestible chunks. This book pulls from his own struggles over the years with depression and anxiety. It focuses on the non-chemical options available to people. He expertly exposes why using anti-depressant drugs does not typically work on their own. Delving into why they are prescribed and how big pharma benefits from the sales.

He explains that for thousands of years, philosophers had been suggesting that if you overvalue money and possessions, or if you think about life mainly on terms of how you look to other people, you will be unhappy. Materialistic people, who think happiness comes from accumulating stuff and superior status, had much higher levels of depression and anxiety. Twelve different studies found that the more materialistic and extrinsically motivated you become, the more anxious you will be. I think therefore, the more you do something for the joy (intrinsically) rather than how people will view you (extrinsically), the happier you will be.

Isabel Behncke is an expert in animal behaviour and has applied this to explore animals and humans place in nature. She highlights the importance of spending time in nature and likens it to animals that are bred in captivity having higher levels of depression. To quote Isabel “Don’t be in captivity. Fuck captivity.”

One of the key takeaways from this book for me was that antidepressants don’t need to be a pill. Johann lifts the lid on why he believes chemical antidepressants don’t work. He then explores a multitude of other avenues that works as an antidepressant.

Quotes

• We need to get rid of the junk values in our lives to get back to our intrinsic values
• Having meaningful work, that you have control over provides antidepressant benefits

I really liked this book from Johann. His writing style seems to resonate with me and provides an easy avenue to understand concepts. This book is for anyone that has depression or is interested in seeing the concept in a different light. Check out my review of Johann’s other great read – Stolen Focus.