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Your comment aligns with an old HN comment that I have saved that resonated with me: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16402387 https://news.ycombinator.com

Your comment aligns with an old HN comment that I have saved that resonated with me: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16402387 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16402387 I'd also recommend people feeling this way to read The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. It helped me.

technobabble 8y ago
Thank you for linking to the book, and the previous comment.
solarkraft 8y ago
Thanks for sharing this comment. I do have a bit of trouble with the last paragraph. Am I understanding correctly that the author claims depression is neccessary for building a better model of the world? I'm sure depression has caused me to think about things and get a better understanding of them, but is it neccessary? What am I currently building a better model of?
- guntars 8y ago
  In the beginning the author of the comment said that a broken model results in a loss of confidence which then prevents us from acting on that model and forces us to figure out a better one. They're saying that's what depression is - the downtime when you're supposed to play it safe and re-analyze the data and build a better fitting model. I can see how it can be better to not act on a broken model in case it could result in some harm, but it also stops us from gathering new data that might be important.
- watwut 8y ago
  When I had depression, I stared into the wall tired of everything. Everything was pointless and everybody annoying. Just about only thing I understood better was depressive state itself. It ended when I got healthy and the only inside I have is more understanding for depressive people.
everdrive 8y ago
Thanks for sharing this. I've found it really helpful. I had similar, but poorly express thoughts about depression for quite a while. I really appreciate this excellent theory and explanation.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago
Hah, looks like I bought this book back in 2011 and never read it! Time to give it a go.
thaumaturgy 8y ago
Interesting comment. Some research supports at least some of it: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141119125105.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141119125105.h... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/depressions-evolutionary/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/depressions-evolu... While it may explain depressive moods or mindsets for many people, there's also a lot of supporting evidence for long-term, chronic, biochemical causes.
CompelTechnic 8y ago
The comment you linked concisely explains an idea I've "circled the drain" on for quite a while. Thank you.
Revery 8y ago
It might just be me, but it feels like that comment indirectly addresses losing one's religious beliefs as they get older. There's probably too many confounding factors, but I've been curious if there are any noticeable differences in depression frequency amongst irreligious folks that had religious upbringing. It seems it's something that is difficult for people to talk about or study.
tomiplaz 8y ago
Thanks for sharing these. The comment very much resonates with me. There are some other resonating comments in these threads. It feels good to read those; I feel less alone. Those nicely articulated thoughts might honestly help me deal with my episodes. I should take a look at the book too.

technobabble 8y ago

Thank you for linking to the book, and the previous comment.

solarkraft 8y ago

Thanks for sharing this comment. I do have a bit of trouble with the last paragraph. Am I understanding correctly that the author claims depression is neccessary for building a better model of the world? I'm sure depression has caused me to think about things and get a better understanding of them, but is it neccessary? What am I currently building a better model of?

guntars 8y ago
In the beginning the author of the comment said that a broken model results in a loss of confidence which then prevents us from acting on that model and forces us to figure out a better one. They're saying that's what depression is - the downtime when you're supposed to play it safe and re-analyze the data and build a better fitting model. I can see how it can be better to not act on a broken model in case it could result in some harm, but it also stops us from gathering new data that might be important.
watwut 8y ago
When I had depression, I stared into the wall tired of everything. Everything was pointless and everybody annoying. Just about only thing I understood better was depressive state itself. It ended when I got healthy and the only inside I have is more understanding for depressive people.

everdrive 8y ago

Thanks for sharing this. I've found it really helpful. I had similar, but poorly express thoughts about depression for quite a while. I really appreciate this excellent theory and explanation.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago

Hah, looks like I bought this book back in 2011 and never read it! Time to give it a go.

thaumaturgy 8y ago

Interesting comment. Some research supports at least some of it: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141119125105.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141119125105.h... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/depressions-evolutionary/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/depressions-evolu... While it may explain depressive moods or mindsets for many people, there's also a lot of supporting evidence for long-term, chronic, biochemical causes.

CompelTechnic 8y ago

The comment you linked concisely explains an idea I've "circled the drain" on for quite a while. Thank you.

Revery 8y ago

It might just be me, but it feels like that comment indirectly addresses losing one's religious beliefs as they get older. There's probably too many confounding factors, but I've been curious if there are any noticeable differences in depression frequency amongst irreligious folks that had religious upbringing. It seems it's something that is difficult for people to talk about or study.

tomiplaz 8y ago

Thanks for sharing these. The comment very much resonates with me. There are some other resonating comments in these threads. It feels good to read those; I feel less alone. Those nicely articulated thoughts might honestly help me deal with my episodes. I should take a look at the book too.