Epidemiological research suggests that, even though times seemed to be tougher for our grandparents, our generation is up to 10 times more likely to experience depression than they were.  Why, when our lives are seemingly easier than ever before in the history of our species, are depression rates higher than ever?  What did our ancestors possess that we seem to be missing today?  These questions prompted me to search for answers to this mental mystery.  I found clues in the behavioral neuroscience literature, in the behavior and brains of the rodents in my laboratory, and in my personal experience with depressive symptoms following my mother’s death.

The convergence of evidence kept pointing to the value of directed movement toward life’s rewards, especially complex movement of the hands.  Could the answer to this multi-billion dollar question (based on the amount of money spent on antidepressants each year) be so simple?  It certainly seems that the key to preventing depression might have been in our hands all along.  Our ancestors couldn’t order take-out-- they had to hunt or forage for food.  Interestingly, a century ago doctors used to prescribe “knitting” to women overwrought with anxiety because they observed that this work calmed their patients’ nerves.  And, most impressive for a neuroscientist, the brain devotes a disproportionately large area of the motor cortex to the movement of the hands.  If “work” with the hands is an important aspect of human behavior, it is interesting to consider what would happen if such work or “effort driven rewards” were systematically removed from our lives.  As scary as it seems, we’re currently conducting that experiment on ourselves.   As “knowledge workers,” many of us work very long hours at the office with minimal movement of our bodies and hands beyond reflexively typing on our keyboards.  Research suggests that our brains are minimally engaged in our physically deprived lives—leading to reduced pleasure, decreased perception of control over the stress in our lives, diminished persistence in tough times, and an inability to problem-solve when faced with new challenges.  Do these symptoms sound familiar?