To avoid being ripped apart, low-status baboons make themselves as non-threatening as possible by lowering themselves physically as a way to say, “You win. For male baboons in particular, competition for the top spots is brutal.

Researchers discovered this effect by studying the social hierarchies of baboons. Some scientists think that human depression is a stress response from our evolutionary history, linked to a feeling of low social status. Disconnection From Positive Social Status

Living with other people or in a big city doesn’t change that because solving loneliness isn’t just about gaining physical proximity to others: It’s about developing a mutually meaningful connection with someone else. Studies show that most American adults have zero close confidants. Now, humans are more socially isolated than ever before. People who felt miserably depressed when they wandered off on their own were more motivated to stick with the tribe, so they were more likely than loners to survive long enough to pass on their genes. The reason why this causes depression is rooted deep in human evolutionary history: Millions of years ago, the only way for early humans to avoid becoming a tasty snack for a predator was to band together into tribes. One factor that can cause depression is disconnection from meaningful relationships with other people. Disconnection From Meaningful Relationships This section explores the social factors that contribute to depression. Disconnections From OthersĮven if biology isn’t the primary cause of depression for most people, depression is a very real physical illness that can be triggered by external factors (just like how dust or dairy can trigger an allergic reaction). Finally, we’ll explore seven reconnections that may help us to collectively heal depression. We’ll also discuss the reason antidepressants don’t work for most people. In this summary, we’ll explore seven types of disconnections that contribute to depression (including the real role of biology). In Lost Connections, journalist Johann Hari investigates the psychological and social factors that contribute to depression (which he calls “disconnections”), as well as innovative social and environmental treatments for depression (or “reconnections”). Today, most experts use the biopsychosocial model to talk about depression, which recognizes three root causes of depression: biology, psychological history, and social factors. However, that’s not the whole story: There’s more to depression than just biology. Many people think depression is just a “chemical imbalance” in the brain: specifically, that it’s caused by low serotonin levels. 1-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of Lost Connections

Lost connections johann hari review