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Is everyone so depressed now partially because modern science has probably proven there is no god / afterlife?

By that I mean, it must be an inherently comforting thing to think - we inherently know this and want there to be something after death, because it feels right, or more meaningful. There’s a reason basically every civilization ever has some sort of afterlife ethos.

I realize I am basically horseshoeing my way into evangelicalism but still. Maybe life was better if we believed there was something beyond this.

pelletbucket ,

also I’m an atheist but I don’t think it’s because science has “proven there’s no god”

vividspecter ,

I doubt underlying depression rates are any higher today than in the past. It’s just not pushed under the rug anymore.

HootinNHollerin ,

“When I’m dead, just throw me in the trash” - Frank Reynolds

bear ,

No. It’s because of lifestyle choices affecting diet, exercise, and sleep. But it does help to believe in something and feel a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life.

DrQuickbeam , (edited )

Short answer: Yes! Partially!

Long answer: Belief is a feature that humans have that can give you confidence both in proven outcomes and in the unknown. It stems from our prefrontal cortex survival capabilities to remember past experiences and simulate future experiences. Aka imagination. We can believe in anything we choose to.

Yes belief is psychologically comforting. Certainly a lot more than worrying about the unknown. It’s even more comforting if the belief is shared by a social group, reinforcing it to each other.

Other aspects of religion make life easier too. Rituals, traditions, stories and social ties.

Those things can help with depression! Depression is a cognitive-affective response to a body that isn’t living the way our bodies were evolved to live. Key factors of that include: Daily socialization, getting the right nutrients, sleeping well, getting enough exercise, getting enough sunlight and having strategies to keep our minds from worrying. Belief can do the last one, as can meditation, or triggering flow states by engaging in activities. Religion can also help with the socializing one.

Hope this helps!

Cosmos7349 ,

I think probably more influential is the accessibility to global knowledge, so now it’s really easy to see how shitty everything is, and also find more things to worry about

snausagesinablanket ,
@snausagesinablanket@lemmy.world avatar

There is something beyond this. Live a meaningful life and teach someone else some of the skills you have. In that way you will live for generations.

LostWanderer ,

Life would be better if human beings collectively worked to make life better for the previous, current, and next generation of human beings. By creating policies that positively impact the society, quality of life could be much better. Life would gain more meaning if the standard of living would increase, work wasn’t an ever free time-consuming thing, the ailments of the mind were handled much better. We need to fix the crisis that homelessness, hunger, limited or no access to healthcare can cause within a society. If people had the chance to live without worries about the immediate future, perhaps depression would not be such an issue. Right now, it feels like a select many who got theirs are desperate to make sure not many people get the same opportunities. Some want to actively dismantle democracy and destroy the very few social safety nets the USA has, I see this as another source of misery (at least in the USA in particular).

I don’t know what you’ve been reading, but the last time I checked: Science hasn’t proven that there is no god or afterlife; this is still an open question at the moment. It’s a matter of faith, as science is chasing far more important answers. I personally neither disbelief nor believe in a God; there’s no direct proof save what people have written about said being. If anything, a serious lack of direct communication with all living beings on Earth seems to be an indication of an absence of a Creator Being. Also, given the contradictory nature of the bible; it feels like the pure work of man, with no higher power involved. Those who were desperate to control people through faith; latching on to the chance to control a faith-based narrative, since polytheism was on its way out.

pelletbucket ,

nah there is probably tens of thousands of years of human history before we invented an afterlife

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