An iron will could lead to depression

Randolph Nesse

“Where there is a will, there is a way”. Cultures that promote determination surely are spreading a positive message, but to phrase the message with the lack of nuance that is inherit to the famous saying could lead many astray. As with all things in life, a healthy attitude towards our challenges requires a more subtle attitude.

Randolph Nesse (@RandyNesse) hypothesizes that, just as physical pain stops us from repeating experiences that could hurt us, emotional pain tries to dissuade us from continued emotionally harmful experiences, in particular, pursuing unreachable goals. He argues that low mood is part of a mechanism acquired through our evolution that robs us from energy when we repeatedly fail. In this period of low motivation energy is saved and new goals can be found. If this mechanism does not function properly, though, severe depression can be the consequence.

Dr. Nesse believes that persistence is a reason for the exceptional level of clinical depression in America – the country has the highest depression rate in the world. “Persistence is part of the American way of life,” he says, “People here are often driven to pursue overly ambitious goals, which can lead to depression.”

There is nothing wrong with persistence, as long as it is a persistent effort to find a reachable goal. Perhaps the saying should be rephrased to say: “Where there is a positive will, one could find a plausible way to a successful venture through trial and error.” But who would ever quote a phrase like that?