Rising depression may be a reaction to unfulfillable acceleration expectations.

Evidence

These are accompanied by the feeling that life “flies by” faster and faster, although the average lifespan in Western societies has continuously lengthened. The experience of time standing still becomes pathological here in the form of clinical depression. More than a few psychologists suspect that this represents a reaction to unfulfillable expectations of acceleration. According to many studies, depressive ailments appear to be on the rise in contemporary society. — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 110

Categorization

• QUESTION: If felt time scarcity persists despite longer actual lifespans, what metric other than lifespan would register the true felt shortage?
• XREF: connects to: Time scarcity alienates people from their preferred selves regardless of free time — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration: A New Theory of…, 838; Perceived stress tracks the rate of acceleration, not absolute pace of life. — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration: A New Theory of…, 378; The imperative to achieve, not self-responsibility, causes burnout and depression. — Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society, 31 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Perceived stress tracks the rate of acceleration, not absolute pace of life. #corroborates (0.85) — Hartmut Rosa, Social Acceleration, 378
• Unlimited self-optimization becomes a new coercion producing depression and burnout #corroborates (0.85)
• Neurotic structure erupts from environment and the individual’s personal reactions combined. #expands (0.78)
• The imperative to achieve, not self-responsibility, causes burnout and depression. #corroborates (0.75) — Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society, 31
• Psychological perceptions of decline can count as difficult life conditions, not only material hardships. #expands (0.75) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3980
• Thinking hard about an event inflates its perceived likelihood of occurring #qualifies (0.72)