What Makes People Around the World Less Depressed?
Depression affects millions of people, but there are some areas of the world that don’t have as many cases as other areas do. Some countries have very low statistics when it comes to this mental condition and there are some common links that explain what makes those areas unique.
Regardless of where you live in the world, depression can cause you to experience anxiety, stress, sadness and a loss of interest in the things that you once enjoyed doing.
Some situations in life can make the risk of depression higher – such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a divorce, a move and physical causes. Your social and economic status can play a part in depression.
But this depends on where you live. In the United States, economic status plays a bigger role in the development of depression than in countries around the world.
In countries that are not as developed, that are not as modernized, depression is not as prevalent. One study points to the fact that with modernization comes more pressure and with that, more stress.
Both are linked to depression. When an area doesn’t have the “keeping up with the Jones’s” mentality, there is less prevalence toward depression. People are happier with less.
Micronesia is considered to be one of the countries where depression rates are extremely low and one of the reasons for this is because the country does not have the same modern living style as other countries or as the United States.
When an area is not as modern and the living is not fast paced, there’s less social pressure, less chaos and more time to relax. Life is lived at a slower pace than in areas where the depression rates are high.
There’s less value placed on material things than in other countries where depression is higher. Location is a good indicator of how low the depression status is.
When you’re in an area that’s not in the middle of all the turmoil and doesn’t have access to news and other negative interactions 24/7, there are fewer cases of depression.
In areas that do have modernization, media and unlimited access to social media, the cases of depression are higher. There is an entire group of islands in the South Pacific where depression is almost unheard of.
In the Kingdom of Tonga, which is made up of over 170 islands, daily life is about the beaches and the rainforest rather than stress, anxiety and depression. One study showed that living near or around the ocean improves psychological well-being for a number of emotionally and mentally connected disorders – and that includes depression.
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