Do NOT attempt to think or depression may result.

Depression's Evolutionary Roots

Two scientists suggest that depression is not a malfunction, but a mental adaptation that brings certain cognitive advantage

There is another possibility: that, in most instances, depression should not be thought of as a disorder at all. In an article recently published in Psychological Review, we argue that depression is in fact an adaptation, a state of mind which brings real costs, but also brings real benefits.
*snip
There is another suggestive line of evidence. Various studies have found that people in depressed mood states are better at solving social dilemmas. Yet these would seem to have been precisely the kind of problems difficult enough to require analysis and important enough to drive the evolution of such a costly emotion. Consider a woman with young children who discovers her husband is having an affair. Is the wife’s best strategy to ignore it, or force him to choose between her and the other woman, and risk abandonment? Laboratory experiments indicate that depressed people are better at solving social dilemmas by better analysis of the costs and benefits of the different options that they might take.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary



So, Depressive ruminating may help solve Social Delimmas. I ruminate over delimmas that affect alot of people depressed or not.So it might be a very important social survival mechanism...Social Delimmas are plenty in our society like war,wall st.,bullies,pollution,inequality,corruption,abuse,sexism,racism,the oppressive corporate powers,our diminishing rights and privacy,why are so many people so narcissistic, sociopathic,manipulating or cruel,etc.etc.

Depression might actually help solve the intractable issues happy people don't want or like to think about?? That's a strange idea,but it also seems possible. Most my life has been spent depressed.I DO ruminate over things alot. I do think deeply,I see things very different than most can tolerate even hearing,except when I'm depressed and talking to other depressed people, it seems we focus on similar issues. I ask why are things the way they are a lot,doubt,question,research think...and sometimes what I find,sometimes other depressed people figure out pieces of solutions while ruminating too. So if Depression is useful for making social change,than,it has a reason to exist.

*snip
One reason to suspect that depression is an adaptation, not a malfunction, comes from research into a molecule in the brain known as the 5HT1A receptor
*snip
Rodents lacking this receptor show fewer depressive symptoms in response to stress, which suggests that it is somehow involved in promoting depression

(stress of being in a traumatic or painful situation,dealing with abusive people maybe)
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"or they(depressed people) have difficulty putting their complex internal struggles into words."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary


Yeah that's so true...So many times people don't grok what I'm trying to say,and get defensive over what I write,and get nasty or try to hijack the threads. But I keep trying to say it regardless of the defensive trolling,here on DU.Why? Because I need to convey what it is I am learning via ruminations to someone,anyone in hopes they understand it,and even better USE it to solve a social delimma. I know when I write here,it gets to more people than those who reply to my posts or try to derail it..This concept of depression, makes sense.

Alot of traumatized people suffer deep depression. A trauma is a personal delimma. Trauma's delimmas maybe shared by many people.Not just depressed ones.But depressed people can't let a painful delimma be denied because of the pain..Depressed people sometimes deal with very deep questions..like asking things like why does life have to suck,why me,why am I alive?

Legit philosophical questions I think.

Hmm This means the you make your own happiness new age crap floating around like the secret might be socially DE-evolutionary,and right wing reactivism.Which is not thinking or rumination over a social delimma.

Shut Up Be Happy by Ice T & Jello Biafra.

We interrupt this program with a special bulletin:
America is now under martial law.
All constitutional rights have been suspended.
Stay in your homes.
Do not attempt to contact loved ones, insurance agents or attorneys.
Shut up.
Do not attempt to think or depression may occur.
Stay in your homes.
Curfew is at 7 PM sharp after work.
Anyone caught outside the gates of their subdivision sectors after curfew
will be shot.
Remain calm, do not panic.
Your neighborhood watch officer will be by to collect urine samples in
the morning.
Anyone caught interfering with the collection of urine examples will be
shot.
Stay in your homes, remain calm.
The number one enemy of progress is questions.
National security is more important than individual will.
All sports broadcasts will proceed as normal.
No more than two people may gather anywhere without permission.
Use only the drugs prescribed by your boss or supervisor.
Shut up, be happy.
Obey all orders without question.
The comfort you've demanded is now mandatory.
Be happy.
At last everything is done for you.

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Shut-Up-Be-Happy-featuring-Jello-Biafra-lyrics-Ice-T/E7444E919B810DB948256DF80016350F