A woman who finds herself trapped in an abusive relationship with her partner and a reader who does not feel her blood boil when she reads about child abuse are two examples of the complex web of intrigues and conflicts that are woven in the brain. The woman has two options: either she recognizes that the relationship is suffocating and moves on after venting her frustration, or she continues to live in faith of her love and silently suffers from stress, depression, and low self-esteem. In an ideal scenario, if the woman chooses to speak up, she is more likely to be happier than she is if she goes on living without allowing her true emotions to surface.

A recent study has come to an interesting finding. People are not always interested in experiencing emotions that put them on a high pedestal. Emotions such as love and empathy are transcendent and are believed to instill a feeling of goodwill. However, according to the study’s findings, 11 percent of the participants wanted to feel fewer of these transcendent emotions than they experienced in their daily lives, while 10 percent wanted to feel more unpleasant emotions such as anger or hate.

The study revealed that across cultures, participants who experienced desired emotions, whether pleasant or unpleasant, had a higher sense of satisfaction with their lives and fewer depressive symptoms. Elucidating the study’s results further, lead researcher Maya Tamir, a psychology professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says, “Happiness is more than just feeling pleasure and avoiding pain. Happiness is about having meaningful experiences and valuable, including the emotions you think are the right ones to have.

Lesser known causes of depression

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of poor health and disability worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. The number of people living with depression increased by more than 18 percent between 2005 and 2015. While one of the reasons depression fuels is the wide gulf between what “feels” and what “wants” feel”, there are several other causes. Some lesser known causes of depression are:

  • sibling rivalry: Those who live in a complex relationship with their siblings are more likely to be depressed than those who bond well. Healthy relationships with siblings transcend into productive relationships with peers and colleagues in later life. However, a childhood rivalry can sour memories and make it more difficult to sustain productive relationships with future partners and acquaintances, which can culminate in a source of misery and depression.
  • Lack of fish in the diet: Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the brain. Omega-3 fatty acids impact the neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, in a positive way. Fish oil improves memory and prevents cognitive decline.
  • Medicine: Some medications used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders such as Valium and Xanax, lopressor for hypertension, and medications to control cholesterol can have adverse side effects, including depression.
  • strive for perfection: The determination to be nothing less than the best makes it impossible for a person to accept reality. If someone falls short of being perfect, he feels stressed and is likely to get depressed.

A healthy mix of good lifestyle choices, nutritious diet, physical exercise, and hobbies help calm the mind and generate positivity. A peaceful mind will function well and will have less chance of suffering from a mental disorder.

Depression is a treatable illness

Depression is a serious mental health condition that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment by certified mental health experts.