Social Media: The Biggest Cause of Depression?

It is my firm belief that Depression is not a mental disorder but a biological one onset due to your mental beliefs and daily habits

Let us take an example of Americans addicted to Facebook/Instagram and how suicide rates have increased exponentially in the US alone (over 200 % as per the documentary, “The Social Dilemma”).

Your body works on hormones. The hormone responsible for inducing a state of what we call love/happiness is known as Dopamine. Dopamine is generally released post intercourse, physical exercises, playing games, achievement of a desire and a satisfying experience amongst other activities.

Facebook and Instagram algorithms track every second you spend on a particular picture, the posts you ignore and the type of activities you like. So they help your brain release dopamine by stimulating it through virtual content.

The more time you spend on such platforms, the more activity logs you produce, allowing the algorithm to manage your brain activity. As a result, your brain has discovered an idealized universe in which you do not need to exert much effort or sweat to produce the hormone. This is truly TERRIFYING.

We do, after all, live in a physical world rather than a virtual one. A mind that seeks enjoyment primarily in virtual realities becomes more dissatisfied with physical reality, resulting in a lack of attention and concentration on physical work. As a result, we begin to distance ourselves from our reality and spend more time in the virtual world, where we find it easier to achieve a sense of satisfaction.

However, if this habit grows too strong and you no longer receive validation from Facebook or Instagram (for example, because others don't like your photos or posts), you will lose that source of dopamine release.

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Depression is caused by a lack of happy hormone release.

To fix the problem, we turn to drink or drugs, both of which are artificial stimulators for the brain, exacerbating the situation. However, your body has a physical limit to how much drugs and alcohol it can take.

When we are deprived of all of the aforementioned sources of happiness, our brain stops producing the hormone, which causes us to feel excessively unhappy and alone, resulting in depression. Because we are no longer used to producing dopamine through physical exertion, extreme sadness causes us to isolate ourselves from all worldly activities. People who are unable to cope commit suicide.

As a result, it's very amazing that the world's wealthiest and most successful individuals advise against using social media, despite the fact that it's the leading cause of sadness in people of all ages today.

As a result, you may spend less time on artificial mind stimulators and more time on physical exertion.