Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

"Faced with a natural landscape, you have a sense that you and your concerns are very small, and the world is very big – and that sensation can shrink the ego down to a manageable size."

This was a fascinating read. I feel like everyone at some stage in their life has done through some troubles and if you're an over thinker like myself you have to wonder whether all the answers lie in tablet form. That's not to say that there is no merit in pharmaceuticals; I'm just always suspicious that the "easy answer" can often just be a tool to get you through a tough spot, without really dealing with the underlying issues. I'm no expert, however I suspect there are a lot of environmental conditions and traumatic experiences that contribute to the increasingly common issues of debilitating depression and anxiety that seems to be prevalent at the moment. Much of my thoughts were confirmed by reading this book and I did find it interesting that the author's approach is from a sociology perspective, however he does cite quite a number of experts. His writing marries the personal with his research and it makes for an engaging combination.

If you're wondering what prompted me to read this. Let's just say there are a surfeit of broken men on dating apps and I just wanted to know why everyone is so miserable and if there's hope for them, for all of us?

So what are the out-takes? Monotonous work which leaves you feeling devoid of choice and unappreciated is a contributing factor to feeling miserable. Hanging out in nature is soothing, we all need to feel part of something and a focus on materialistic success is bound to disappoint. All things which, as I get older I tend to agree with. Now I just need to find a way to pay to be permanently on holidays, at the beach, hiking around waterfalls, preferably accompanied by an equally agile and attractive mate for other smile inducing entertainment. Well the dream itself is sometimes enough to put a smile on my face – albeit briefly.

5 out of 5 people are lucky enough to experience the joy of awesome friends.