CSB#7-Depressive Thinking Makes Good Choices?

"Don't look so glum! Cheer up! Don't be so depressed!" All examples of common sayings that emphasize the presumed negative effects of depression. Depression is a state of mind in which one has a low mood as well as a sense of inadequacy, sometimes considered a dysfunction, while others as a defense mechanism. However, a recent study done by Bettina von Helversen from the University of Basel in Switzerland proves otherwise. The study tested clinically proven depressed patients, and their thought process. The study found that while depressed patients may be unable to make emotional decisions, they're everyday choices are often the write ones. However, researchers are still unsure of why this occurs. Paul Andrews, a professor of Virginia Commonwealth University, hypothesizes that depression may have been evolution's way of inducing solitude and then working on fixing any problems. Another hypothesis is that depression may cause a pessimistic outlook that will force the individual to reconsider any possible decision that is made. 


Regardless of which hypothesis is correct, if depression truly does make cognitive thinking easier, then perhaps it is a defense mechanism that was created by the human body to counteract difficult or stressful situations. Instead of being a dysfunction of the brain, maybe depression is a state in which the depressed find cognitive thinking about their problems simpler. This study simply proves that many of our actions today, including those that seem absurd, are simply evolutionary factors that are beneficial to our everyday life.


Citations


Bower, Bruce. "Thinking Better with Depression." ScienceNews. ScienceNews, n.d.
     Web. 9 May 2011. <http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/73973/title/
     Thinking_better_with_depression>.'


*Unknown. "How to Test for Depression." My Depression Hurts. N.p., 2009. Web. 9
     May 2011. <http://mydepressionhurts.com/how-to-test-for-depression/>.