I think it's a coincidence. I've been depressed, severely so, but it was said that I was "Justifiably Depressed". (I was going to explain better, but....). Anyway, finding a cause , (fighting for the separation of church and State), actually helped me get through the worst of times. It's like you said, Atheism and Depression are not linked. Trying to link them is conspiracy. So instead of getting freaky religious to increase my serotonin levels, I found a good cause. You're doing great kid.
I would be surprised if a member of any alienated, marginalized, and demonized group didn't feel at least a bit down at times, whether it be atheists, LGBT's, or whoever. Nobody likes feeling like they are misunderstood, disapproved of, or, even worse, hated, and religious people are constantly making atheists feel this way.
It's definitely having to do with chemical imbalances in the brain. However in my case, when I de-converted from Christianity and became a non-believer I have never felt better in my life. I feel great that I no longer have to believe in things that make absolutely no sense. My depression has been gone for a long while. =)
Interesting. I'm a positive atheist (there are no gods). The only depression I've experienced was when my kidneys failed and I was out of work and on dialysis a few years back. I have a new kidney and I'm working again. I'm off the Lexapro and no longer depressed. I found that once off the med that I was experiencing natural highs that I had missed while on the drug. Now I have a handful of drugs in the morning and night. :)
Admitting to myself that I am an atheist has helped me overcome many of the worst spells of my depression. Trying to tell myself there is agod up there never helped me. Never.
i have a problem with this, i have depression and i am an atheist, but i try to ar least act happy to kill this stereotype, though it can be easy to understand why religious people seem to be depressed more, however i think this would also mean that people with depression may be more religious because they may not feel happy without the extra serotonin.
However i was more depressed when i was religious, so i think that kind of disproves that.
jeremiah 17:9 states the human mind is the most deceitful thing of all. it is incurable and who can understand it. sounds like theists and atheists both have a unknowable psyche prone to any manner of problems. clearly, going to a shrink will be of no value.
I think that the of the reasons I'm more depressed than usual right now is because I am an atheist. I stopped believing just a few months ago. It'snot just because of that, as I have suffered from depression when I was a Christian as well. But even though atheism *could* be causing my depression, I'm not about to go back to believing in what I know isn't true, just to get less depression.
I used to think that most of the kids my age are just hormone driven and arrogant. they only care about things that entertain them. you proved me wrong. will you accept my friend request?
Belief in God is much like belief in Love: if you choose to see love as nothing more than a chemical reaction which can be reproduced with chocolate, then who can tell you differently?
"Narrowness of mind is the cause of obstinancy--we do not easily believe what is beyond our sight. There are people who would never have been in love if they had never heard of love." ~LaRochefoucauld
That is true, all paintings have a painter, all buildings, have a builder, all philosophies have a philospher, all watches have a watchmaker all books have an authur all cars have a manufacture, CREATION-HAS A "CREATOR". Also atheist accept all peoples histories, except Judeo/Christianity the histories of these 2 are "flawed" according to atheist. However atheist cannot offer the real histories of Judeo/Christianity. Why?
I wore all black (and usually do still) for a very good reason...I'm lazy and black is very easy to match. Depression has a higher rate of manifesting in the highly intelligent (a score in the 145-160 range. The more intelligent are also more likely to be atheist or agnostic, rather than blindly accepting dogma. So is there a correlation, yes. Though the atheism is not the causality of depression, nor vice versa.
Me too, I'm an atheist, and I have depression. I think that a lot of people that are depressed are artistic and just think more deeply about things. They question the world around them more. The reason why people with depression turn to god on the other hand is, obviously, the feeling of love. When you think that there is someone who loves you unconditinally, of course it makes you feel better. But if you're a deep thinker (therefore more prone to depression), god just isn't an option.
I am an atheist & suffer from depression, too. But I dont believe depressed people are inherently more thoughtful. We may become more thoughtful in an attempt to battle & understand our own feelings. We question emotion. We question our own sanity. Many of us fight to determine what is real & what is simply a figment of our imagination... so that practice, that psycological coaster ride of constant questioning is what builds our skepticism towards everything including religion
@ChickadeesDiary I read your comment a couple days ago, and I've been searching my history trying to find it again... This is amazing, what you've said. I totally agree!
So conspirarcy researchers are all depressed? I think you need to take a closer at us and realise that 1) We are not uniformly atheists, 2) We are dissilusioned, and in a lot of cases a bit paranoid, and 3) We figure that if we were lied to about everything then we can find our own truth.
The last point allows us to be free of the "organized religion or nothing" paradigm a lot of atheists fall into, making for our unique emotional connections.
Great vid all I can say for my self and my depression its been a bit more managable since I became a atheist I gaind some control of my life and feel i am not a bad( full of sin) person that yes I am and can have control of my life rather then give all my control to some thing elst where i would have no say and may be people who have depression can see when others are wanting to control them
i suffer from depression and i can say it has intensified a bit since becoming an atheist. that's not to say it causes it, it's just that when you have to deal with reality head-on, it's difficult. when i was a Tibetan Buddhist, i could zone out chanting mantras, imagining a happy alternate dimension that i thought i was moving closer to by chanting. or i could think "well, my next life will be much better, because of the good karma i'm developing" etc.
I think its just that being religious is the norm in our current society, so a person has to deviate from the norm to be an atheist, and a person that is happy simply has no reason to think about whether there is a god or not. So Id say depressed people (and people who went through horrible things, etc.) are more likely to be atheists because to be an atheist you have to "lose faith" (because almost all children are indoctrinated into religions from the get-go).
@doutonight If the world were a better place and children didnt have religion hammered into them from an early age, everyone would be an atheist, and the depression rate would still be the same as now. Secondly, some research suggests that if a person is depressed, their reasoning and intellect increase (as in, to increase the chance of getting out of the depression). This would also be a contributing factor as to why depressed people are more likely to see the truth.
@thefonz003 Atheism isn't a religion and I never said it was. It is, however, objectively true. Its too bad that religions hijacked the phrase "seeing the truth", but I'm not going to avoid its use just because of them.
@doutonight Calling it "objectively true" is incredibly presumptuous. It also implies that you're being objective, and to have firsthand knowledge of something this universally vast would require a universal perspective. I think the most science and religion can intersect is to admit that they're separate fields. I think we also need to admit that none of us is truly objective.
@doutonight Scratch that last sentence. Science can be objective but I remain convinced that when it attempts to tackle religion and/or politics it's going outside of its boundaries.
@thefonz003 I think the only boundaries science has are those made by people. People like you.
But more often than not it is religion that attacks science, religious beliefs that clash with scientific knowledge. Is the earth flat? According to the bible, the koran, it is. According to science it is not. According to empirical evidence and experiences it is not. Should religion still be "its own field", claiming the earth is flat? No. Now apply this principle to other less obvious issues.
@doutonight I apologize for that last one. People like me? Ooh, what are we, PBS? But seriously, let's leave personal attacks out of it, shall we? I don't go attacking science; I just don't want it attacking my private right to believe whatever I want to believe. I'll admit to having some prejudice against atheists, not because of what they (you) believe/disbelieve, but because of their arrogance and contempt for theists. I don't have anything personal against you...don't be a prick.
@thefonz003 Well. some christians are very bussie trying to find things in science that they think fits with some passage in the bible. well it never does, simply because the men that wrote the bible didnt have a clue about modern science. And yet they used the evolutionary processes to breed better livestock. in afterthought they might have understood evolution better than "modern day" christians. politics without science ! hmhm.NOT.
Claire sent me. You seem very smart and rational for one such as young as yourself. With some education you'll most certainly be able to punch your own ticket and do anything you put your mind to.
i wonder if part of the depression for atheists on youtube is they DO think rationally and are bombarded by circular thinking day in and day out, fielding the same arguments and '
proofs'.the angry email and negative feedback must be very disheartening
as for me, i do find that my reactions and solutions when i am sad or life is hard felt awkward when i first deconverted.all my old coping mechanisms of prayer, reading the bible, fasting were useless to me.i just needed new skill sets was all.
religious people (I used to be one) experience a lot of social pressure within the church/rel.community to hide, supress, 'just get over' depression.they will deny they are depressed, and rather blame it on their disobedience and 'resulting' guilt of not hearing god.their answer is more prayer, fasting,and 'good works'.to make it worse, good works are not something to take credit for, as they are only MADE good because god did it.man is sinful.
People get depressed sometimes because things are depressing. It's not always just a lack of serotonin. Human beings should be depressed during depressive experiences and periods. It's natural.
General depression is not always a chemical imbalance, either. It can be any number of things.
I used to have warm feelings wash over me in church. Now I get an extremely similar experience after a good workout. I've actually become quite addicted to it.
"My job is to adjust people to an unjust society" - Freud
Perhaps that should be seen for what it is...the statement of a fairly well off man not trying to make the world better for anyone but himself...perhaps actively fighting unjust things is a better approach to happiness.
I would also suggest that we are all a great deal more than things that describe us... having depression, being an atheist, being a realist... I would say do not identify too strongly with any of these things (sometimes we attach too strongly to an identity)... there is so much more to all of us...
introverts typically don't like to stand out so lots wear darker clothes..we have an inward life that's pretty interesting and occupies us.....once i figured out I was a giant introvert...I got less depressed...and started to enjoy the person I am....
There is no link between atheism and depression. Depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain and is likely genetic. I've suffered from depression most of my adult life both when I was religious and now after deconverting to the atheist viewpoint. Religion/Non-religion isn't a factor. Sure religion can increase pleasure to the brain temporarily but so can drugs. The only difference is religion for some reason is not only legal but legally protected. Go figure.
From the studies I've seen, the higher your intellect, the more likely you are to be an atheist. Also, the higher your intellect, the greater risk you are at for depression.
It's worth noting that I have religious folk in my family who are both very intelligent and very depressed- my father, for example.
I think that there are too many factors to take into account.
no ther isn't ther is a link tho with smarter people normaly have a slightly difrent brain
i got it bad (a thing on the autismun spectrum, note most people who have somthing on autisum spectrum won't notice it becuse ther just difrent but not realy wirse like the sevire cases =D) but ya persinaly i say f*** depresion it's just normaly a time when i don't feal this bright and jolly crap!
I've become able to reason away my depression when it happens, being able to realize when my thinking becomes unreasonable. My depression (part of my bipolar), along with my life, has made me cynical. Because of this, I also see joy and excitement as unreasonable.
One of my symptoms is that I always have several trains of thought going on at once, most of them subconscious. Because of this, I passively figure things out all the time. This is where my atheism, among other things, came from.
If anything I believe Intelligence comes with a higher risk of depression. There is the cliche: "Ignorance is bliss."
Sometimes I envy dense people for the thick fog bubble that surrounds them where no new knowledge could ever penetrate. It only concerns me because I care about humanity's future.
Some people might not be smart enough to get depressed. I think there are bare minimum Intelligence requirements for certain things. Meditation can help by learning to control my thoughts.
@RELIGIONmustDIE Really not true....dogs get depressed. Anyone can suffer from it...It's not really a matter of intellectual apprehension that may make it more acute. It's very much about seratonin, dopamine etc etc etc...There are however things we know that help - exercise, sunshine, having engaging work or hobbies, connection (not isolation), gratitude and giving.... fish oil lots of it.
Plenty of less smart people get depressed...they just are not as articulate about it.
@CityzenJane Yeah, I got that wrong. Its true that animals can get depressed. Though I still think that more intelligent people are perhaps more vulnerable to getting depressed. I vaguely remember seeing a study and statistics on that subject.
@CityzenJane ok.. I'll ignore the last thing you just said..
I just wish you'd look into things before dismissing them offhand. Intelligence and depression are linked. Part of it due to internal dialog. In more intelligent people the internal dialog can be more creative (improved language skills/vocabulary) and potentially more detrimental. Dim people have very little internal dialog, are less aware of the world/surrounding environment and are at lower risk for depression. Think Forest Gump!
@CityzenJane then..... Why act like it's all physical brain chemicals? Most cases of depression are influenced by the environment and affected by the way the person thinks. Changing the way you think about something changes the way you feel about it. Can't you see how people with active articulate minds can be more affected by this and how it can factor in with depression? I think basic psychology should be taught to children while they are young.
@CityzenJane It's not all brain hardware and chemicals as you put it. Many cases of depression are caused by software problems. Usually it's a bit of both. Hardware and software working together in a loop.
Understanding the software and the programming language can make a huge difference.
You also mentioned meditation, which is not an exclusive religious exercise. Sam Harris, for instance, regularly meditates. So, just because we do not believe does not imply the benefits of religion you elude to are out of reach for us non-believers. BTW, great that you already were diagnosed. Being able to pinpoint what is wrong with you makes a BIG difference. Also, fingers crossed for getting well.
@timeofwonder2009 learning to practice it and the philosophy (not the religious bits) was the only thing that eve helped me...why we suffer/grasping/fighting change... all very useful concepts...
Have you seen the studies that show that as intelligence goes up happiness tends to go down? So if the majority of athiests are intelligent, then it would make sense that a large portion of these people are aslo unhappy. A chemical imbalance in the brain is not the only cause of depression either.
Why link it to atheism... which is a very tiny slice of the broader term - realism. Realism applies to all sorts of things not just the existence of dieties. It affects the way you view the potential scenarios at play. SAve us Jesus scene is not among the scenarios a realist entertains...he/she is stuck with likely scenarios....in any trend of current events. Depressive tendencies are also highly correlated to accurate predictions of outcomes.
@CityzenJane The realism bit can play a role in it. Though how likely is it that an idiot would gain a firm grasp of reality or the surrounding environment? Simple minded people will just choose a popular delusion and have the intellectual capacity/curiosity of a carrot. Also, how willing are most theists to understand and learn more about the world they live in?
Now back to intelligence subject. If you lookup "intelligence and religiosity" you can find plenty of studies about that.
Yeah, that probably came across as arrogant and condescending. I don't mean to say theists are stupid. There are many Intelligent theists out there.
There are many reasons why theists don't question things or seek new knowledge. There are many reasons people cling to religions. What the studies do show is that religiosity is inversely correlated with intelligence.
@CityzenJane If you look at the study: Race and Adolescent Depression: The Impact of Religiosity
That study is an interesting read and it backs up some of what your saying.
There is also another similar study done on elderly women, where religiosity can improve depression, by alleviating fear of death and accepting not being able to take care of themselves.
The thing is there are more factors involved than just religion.
The first study shows Asians are better off being atheist!?! Interesting!
"Depression is a different part of my life." Absolutely agreed. I can tell very clearly when I am thinking irrationally simply because of certain negative emotions I might be having. And those never come into play when I am thinking and contemplating my world-view in general. In fact the more intellectual pursuits probably offer me more consolation than almost anything else. And those pursuits also brought me to the position of agnostic atheism.
I don't have depression except on rare extreme circumstance that happen during time of strong misfortune. Basically life need to hit me hard to get me down; I am another data point that breaks that stereo-type there.
The religious love cherry picking after all it is the only way they can prove there point!
People with very high intelligence (like you and me) seem to have a propensity to what I call...depressive anxiety...our brains are just more active and doing more novel things than the neurotypicals. Eventually we get tired and this exhaustion is interpreted as depression. I am an alien from another planet call aspergers.
Bullshit. Scandinavians are the least religous people on the planet while being the happiest. I would say that blaming atheism is just a way to hide other flaws in a society.
So, Johns Hopkins is calling serotonin "The God Chemical"? Previously, I've always heard this title applied to dimethyltryptamine. I sense a schism in biochemical dogma brewing...
Your video got me wondering if maybe there was a causal link between the two and I immediately thought of Intelligence. Studies have shown that the higher their IQ the more likely someone is to question and even reject their faith, so I wondered if this was the link. However all my reading suggests I was wrong. The High IQ/Depression question has been studied and almost all the studies show a normal trend i.e. no link. Anyone got any other ideas for a causal link?
I firmly believe that atheists do need to get a lot of comic relief. Sunlight helps too. ;) religion is like a drug and abused like a drug....and like a drug seratonin is involved!...not surprising. Being the sober person at the party isn't always the best BUT it can be especially when we find OTHER sober people! ;) Glad to find u!
Kewel background! How do u do that? Atheists are probably more susceptible to depression becuz we actually ACCEPT reality. They say ignorance is bliss....;) So intelligence SUCKS! Interesting.
Emilie Autumn has a sentence in one of her songs that goes like this: "Intelligent girls are more depressed because they know what the world is really like." I think that is really the case, we have no delusions to hide in, we fight for a better world, against people who care for their so-called afterlife more than taking care of this world. Who wouldn't be depressed?
Some people think more then others, the more you think the more likely you will unravel religious beliefs and think of multiple possible outcomes of a given situation. It is only sensible to perform a risk assessment on things and pessimistic view points are better at this. In short, life is nastier then the illusion we initially convince our selves is real.
It's really simple actually. Ignorance is bliss. It's true. The more ignorant you are, the happier you are. Informed people realize how fucked up things really are, and it's damn depressing :)
p.s. if you are having issues with depression, don't take it lightly; I know people who have had some major problems as a result of doing so. Take care of yourself.
Autumn, your reasoning skills are already greater than those of most of the adult world. It takes a great deal of discipline to be able to work through all of the data that our brains have to process and do so in a way that rejects the easy answer.
Thanks for the info re: Claire: I didn't know that she'd closed her channel. She's closed her channel in the past and I am glad to see that she had established a backup channel last spring.She's a real talent.
I think Modern Satanism (LaVeyan Satanism) would be a good idea for an atheist whom is uncomfortably inclined to live in a nihilistic world of the scientific method yet still seeks the ambiguous wonderment that the world of religion can offer.
The beliefs Modern Satanism have regarding the existence of god is the same as atheism but they realize the historically proven necessity for mankind to have make believe and organization.
I am trying to get back into exercising as a way to alleviate depression. I have heard that getting exercise can be just as effective as taking an antidepressant medication, in some people. People with severe depression need medical help, and probably shouldn't try to treat it on their own, with any sort of home remedies. I always feel relief just going out for some fresh air and walking and feeling in touch with nature. And I get a lift from listening to my fellow atheists online when I'm home.
There was another study which I heard on NPR (I think it was a Harvard study) that reported people who had the capacity to lie to themselves tended to be much happier than those who were honest to themselves. The liars created a happy fantasy where they dwelt. It was deduced that the honest ones see the world from a more realistic perspective, and thus were less happy. Sounds a bit like the atheism with which I'm familiar.
I have 5-ht issues too, it causes me to get migraines so I'm on a low dose second-generation tricyclic to keep my levels up enough to keep myself from going into intense pain. I think people who are Atheist that have 5-ht issues perhaps it allows us to see reality without a rose colored filter. Like I can't believe because it's a lie, and some people have to believe because it makes them feel happy. However I'd rather have reality and all it is then a lie.
Serotonin is one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain. It sort of regulates dopamine response (& vice versa). The main serotonin receptors are in the primitive midbrain, especially the raphe nuclei. I truly believe that serotonin is not lowered in most forms of depression, but increasing the availability of serotonin with antidepressants can, in a roundabout way, relieve some of the symptoms of depression. Depression occurs when the fight-or-flight response (HPA axis) becomes uncoupled.
My inability to have mystical experiences was only depressing in that religious thinking made it an issue. Understanding religion and becoming an atheist resolved that.
The fact that I can't get proper sleep, suffered from severe sleep deprivation, most likely have fibro myalgia ie generic mutli-faceted pain 'syndrome', and had undiagnosed non-hereditary fructose intolerance for who know how many years which caused many troubling symptoms, is why I became depressed and still struggle with it.
I think it might be even easier than your explanation about seratonin. I think it can be summed up by "Ignorance is bliss." Religious beliefs are very often held because people are trying to avoid the harsh realities that atheists are not afraid to accept.
A little time before and after I renounced my faith (christian) I was very depressed. Nowadays I'm happier than ever before. Living the happy atheist life. <3
I grew up with bad insomnia and depression. I became an atheist later in life after caring enough to stray from the norm and actually read and study religious texts (and not just my own). The idea that my beliefs on mythology are related to my medical conditions are quite hilarious.
Oh and i do like wearing black. It doesnt have some weird meaning to me. I dont dress in the aim of appearing a certain way either. Black simply is easy to match and hard to stain. It also looks good on me.
Most of the people I know that have a problem with depression are religious. There is nothing but hope, and a false hope at that. I was recently be diagnosed with cancer and one thing for sure I am not trusting a god to help me, but the latest in medical treatments, and I am winning! My doctor even asked me why I am so positive, and I told him because I kicked Jesus to the curb! It is so self loathing to be religious! I am glad I am FREE, HAPPY and recovering! We have far more than they do!
This reminds me of another study. People were given a button and were asked to press it, in order to turn on a light on a screen. The light wasn't actually connected to the button, and turned on randomly. People without depression believed they were actually in control, when they were not, and came up with the most intricate algorithms for pressing the button. The study showed that depressed people were actually more realist, but felt less in control.
I have never felt so free science deconverting. Yes bad things still happen, Yes I still deal with it. In fact when I was a believer I had been recommended for depression meds. I refused to take them (thank god) LOL and later I got better.
I feel like anyone that thinks deep enough long enough, sooner or later wants to jump off a bridge, because of the idiots. I think the idiots want to jump. . . well . . . because they are idiots and have no other plan. A BIG difference. Don't jump
I think religion is often used as a palative for people who honestly can't handle the pain and suffering that exist in the world. I have found that my depression is caused because my life circumstances do not correlate with what I feel and know is possible for me. When one feels they have no control over their lives depression can ensue, usually taking action can alleviate depression but when the situation doesn't change one can continue to feel depressed, at least this is my experience with it.
I think it's a coincidence. I've been depressed, severely so, but it was said that I was "Justifiably Depressed". (I was going to explain better, but....). Anyway, finding a cause , (fighting for the separation of church and State), actually helped me get through the worst of times. It's like you said, Atheism and Depression are not linked. Trying to link them is conspiracy. So instead of getting freaky religious to increase my serotonin levels, I found a good cause. You're doing great kid.
MrChesstime 1 day ago
I would be surprised if a member of any alienated, marginalized, and demonized group didn't feel at least a bit down at times, whether it be atheists, LGBT's, or whoever. Nobody likes feeling like they are misunderstood, disapproved of, or, even worse, hated, and religious people are constantly making atheists feel this way.
iAmEhead 6 days ago
It's definitely having to do with chemical imbalances in the brain. However in my case, when I de-converted from Christianity and became a non-believer I have never felt better in my life. I feel great that I no longer have to believe in things that make absolutely no sense. My depression has been gone for a long while. =)
BeckaMorena 3 weeks ago
Interesting. I'm a positive atheist (there are no gods). The only depression I've experienced was when my kidneys failed and I was out of work and on dialysis a few years back. I have a new kidney and I'm working again. I'm off the Lexapro and no longer depressed. I found that once off the med that I was experiencing natural highs that I had missed while on the drug. Now I have a handful of drugs in the morning and night. :)
matthewtaylorbrown 1 month ago
Admitting to myself that I am an atheist has helped me overcome many of the worst spells of my depression. Trying to tell myself there is agod up there never helped me. Never.
JohannMint 1 month ago
i have a problem with this, i have depression and i am an atheist, but i try to ar least act happy to kill this stereotype, though it can be easy to understand why religious people seem to be depressed more, however i think this would also mean that people with depression may be more religious because they may not feel happy without the extra serotonin.
However i was more depressed when i was religious, so i think that kind of disproves that.
naturalistmind 2 months ago
Depression is correlated to high i.q.. Religious belief is not.
ruffgreens 2 months ago
Oh my god, I just realised there's a weeping angel in your room, don't look away and don't even blink.
Schnitzelpops 2 months ago
jeremiah 17:9 states the human mind is the most deceitful thing of all. it is incurable and who can understand it. sounds like theists and atheists both have a unknowable psyche prone to any manner of problems. clearly, going to a shrink will be of no value.
wp4866 4 months ago
I think that the of the reasons I'm more depressed than usual right now is because I am an atheist. I stopped believing just a few months ago. It'snot just because of that, as I have suffered from depression when I was a Christian as well. But even though atheism *could* be causing my depression, I'm not about to go back to believing in what I know isn't true, just to get less depression.
coda623 4 months ago
I used to think that most of the kids my age are just hormone driven and arrogant. they only care about things that entertain them. you proved me wrong. will you accept my friend request?
Powerfusion68 6 months ago
Belief in God is much like belief in Love: if you choose to see love as nothing more than a chemical reaction which can be reproduced with chocolate, then who can tell you differently?
"Narrowness of mind is the cause of obstinancy--we do not easily believe what is beyond our sight. There are people who would never have been in love if they had never heard of love." ~LaRochefoucauld
eleutheromaniac 6 months ago
That is true, all paintings have a painter, all buildings, have a builder, all philosophies have a philospher, all watches have a watchmaker all books have an authur all cars have a manufacture, CREATION-HAS A "CREATOR". Also atheist accept all peoples histories, except Judeo/Christianity the histories of these 2 are "flawed" according to atheist. However atheist cannot offer the real histories of Judeo/Christianity. Why?
RonSafreed 7 months ago
depression is real......what is un-real is religion.
mildpace 8 months ago
I wore all black (and usually do still) for a very good reason...I'm lazy and black is very easy to match. Depression has a higher rate of manifesting in the highly intelligent (a score in the 145-160 range. The more intelligent are also more likely to be atheist or agnostic, rather than blindly accepting dogma. So is there a correlation, yes. Though the atheism is not the causality of depression, nor vice versa.
trevorhmason 8 months ago
I'm agnostic. Should I be.. semi-depressed? :P
Sorry I'm just trying to be funny... hope you get better ;)
fablan6 9 months ago
Me too, I'm an atheist, and I have depression. I think that a lot of people that are depressed are artistic and just think more deeply about things. They question the world around them more. The reason why people with depression turn to god on the other hand is, obviously, the feeling of love. When you think that there is someone who loves you unconditinally, of course it makes you feel better. But if you're a deep thinker (therefore more prone to depression), god just isn't an option.
ChickadeesDiary 11 months ago 11
@ChickadeesDiary
I am an atheist & suffer from depression, too. But I dont believe depressed people are inherently more thoughtful. We may become more thoughtful in an attempt to battle & understand our own feelings. We question emotion. We question our own sanity. Many of us fight to determine what is real & what is simply a figment of our imagination... so that practice, that psycological coaster ride of constant questioning is what builds our skepticism towards everything including religion
88Keyz101 6 months ago
@ChickadeesDiary Hey I'm the same way... this whole atheist movement is silent, but very real and very educational.
insidexistance 4 months ago
@ChickadeesDiary I read your comment a couple days ago, and I've been searching my history trying to find it again... This is amazing, what you've said. I totally agree!
jessicaframemusic 3 weeks ago
I am not an atheist because I'm depressed and I'm not depressed because I'm an atheist.
lordabomity 11 months ago 7
Chocolate does it too, and people say chocolate induces a feeling like falling in love.
May also explain why chocolate can help women on their periods.
Al1981X 1 year ago
So conspirarcy researchers are all depressed? I think you need to take a closer at us and realise that 1) We are not uniformly atheists, 2) We are dissilusioned, and in a lot of cases a bit paranoid, and 3) We figure that if we were lied to about everything then we can find our own truth.
The last point allows us to be free of the "organized religion or nothing" paradigm a lot of atheists fall into, making for our unique emotional connections.
A.G.
AussieGriffin 1 year ago
Great vid all I can say for my self and my depression its been a bit more managable since I became a atheist I gaind some control of my life and feel i am not a bad( full of sin) person that yes I am and can have control of my life rather then give all my control to some thing elst where i would have no say and may be people who have depression can see when others are wanting to control them
fallbread 1 year ago
i suffer from depression and i can say it has intensified a bit since becoming an atheist. that's not to say it causes it, it's just that when you have to deal with reality head-on, it's difficult. when i was a Tibetan Buddhist, i could zone out chanting mantras, imagining a happy alternate dimension that i thought i was moving closer to by chanting. or i could think "well, my next life will be much better, because of the good karma i'm developing" etc.
BillKiernan 1 year ago
I think its just that being religious is the norm in our current society, so a person has to deviate from the norm to be an atheist, and a person that is happy simply has no reason to think about whether there is a god or not. So Id say depressed people (and people who went through horrible things, etc.) are more likely to be atheists because to be an atheist you have to "lose faith" (because almost all children are indoctrinated into religions from the get-go).
doutonight 1 year ago
@doutonight If the world were a better place and children didnt have religion hammered into them from an early age, everyone would be an atheist, and the depression rate would still be the same as now. Secondly, some research suggests that if a person is depressed, their reasoning and intellect increase (as in, to increase the chance of getting out of the depression). This would also be a contributing factor as to why depressed people are more likely to see the truth.
doutonight 1 year ago
@doutonight "See the truth"? I thought atheism wasn't a religion.
thefonz003 1 year ago
@thefonz003 Atheism isn't a religion and I never said it was. It is, however, objectively true. Its too bad that religions hijacked the phrase "seeing the truth", but I'm not going to avoid its use just because of them.
doutonight 1 year ago
@doutonight Calling it "objectively true" is incredibly presumptuous. It also implies that you're being objective, and to have firsthand knowledge of something this universally vast would require a universal perspective. I think the most science and religion can intersect is to admit that they're separate fields. I think we also need to admit that none of us is truly objective.
thefonz003 1 year ago
@doutonight Scratch that last sentence. Science can be objective but I remain convinced that when it attempts to tackle religion and/or politics it's going outside of its boundaries.
thefonz003 1 year ago
@thefonz003 I think the only boundaries science has are those made by people. People like you.
But more often than not it is religion that attacks science, religious beliefs that clash with scientific knowledge. Is the earth flat? According to the bible, the koran, it is. According to science it is not. According to empirical evidence and experiences it is not. Should religion still be "its own field", claiming the earth is flat? No. Now apply this principle to other less obvious issues.
doutonight 11 months ago
@doutonight Nice to talk to you too. I love how atheists wonder why nobody likes them.
thefonz003 11 months ago
@doutonight I apologize for that last one. People like me? Ooh, what are we, PBS? But seriously, let's leave personal attacks out of it, shall we? I don't go attacking science; I just don't want it attacking my private right to believe whatever I want to believe. I'll admit to having some prejudice against atheists, not because of what they (you) believe/disbelieve, but because of their arrogance and contempt for theists. I don't have anything personal against you...don't be a prick.
thefonz003 11 months ago
@thefonz003 Well. some christians are very bussie trying to find things in science that they think fits with some passage in the bible. well it never does, simply because the men that wrote the bible didnt have a clue about modern science. And yet they used the evolutionary processes to breed better livestock. in afterthought they might have understood evolution better than "modern day" christians. politics without science ! hmhm.NOT.
bassetter1 7 months ago
Claire sent me. You seem very smart and rational for one such as young as yourself. With some education you'll most certainly be able to punch your own ticket and do anything you put your mind to.
bigboy45454545 1 year ago
Wow, I used to wear a lot of black when I was Christian... now I wear a lot of black because I'm fat ;-)
paleosmoker 1 year ago
i wonder if part of the depression for atheists on youtube is they DO think rationally and are bombarded by circular thinking day in and day out, fielding the same arguments and '
proofs'.the angry email and negative feedback must be very disheartening
as for me, i do find that my reactions and solutions when i am sad or life is hard felt awkward when i first deconverted.all my old coping mechanisms of prayer, reading the bible, fasting were useless to me.i just needed new skill sets was all.
practicalmagic9 1 year ago
religious people (I used to be one) experience a lot of social pressure within the church/rel.community to hide, supress, 'just get over' depression.they will deny they are depressed, and rather blame it on their disobedience and 'resulting' guilt of not hearing god.their answer is more prayer, fasting,and 'good works'.to make it worse, good works are not something to take credit for, as they are only MADE good because god did it.man is sinful.
practicalmagic9 1 year ago
Autumn, I'd like you to tell us more about your depression. You never struck me as particularly depressed before. Did you diagnose yourself?
jsmith224455 1 year ago
People get depressed sometimes because things are depressing. It's not always just a lack of serotonin. Human beings should be depressed during depressive experiences and periods. It's natural.
General depression is not always a chemical imbalance, either. It can be any number of things.
Skindoggiedog 1 year ago
I used to have warm feelings wash over me in church. Now I get an extremely similar experience after a good workout. I've actually become quite addicted to it.
CandidCarl 1 year ago
"My job is to adjust people to an unjust society" - Freud
Perhaps that should be seen for what it is...the statement of a fairly well off man not trying to make the world better for anyone but himself...perhaps actively fighting unjust things is a better approach to happiness.
CityzenJane 1 year ago
I would also suggest that we are all a great deal more than things that describe us... having depression, being an atheist, being a realist... I would say do not identify too strongly with any of these things (sometimes we attach too strongly to an identity)... there is so much more to all of us...
CityzenJane 1 year ago
introverts typically don't like to stand out so lots wear darker clothes..we have an inward life that's pretty interesting and occupies us.....once i figured out I was a giant introvert...I got less depressed...and started to enjoy the person I am....
CityzenJane 1 year ago
There is no link between atheism and depression. Depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain and is likely genetic. I've suffered from depression most of my adult life both when I was religious and now after deconverting to the atheist viewpoint. Religion/Non-religion isn't a factor. Sure religion can increase pleasure to the brain temporarily but so can drugs. The only difference is religion for some reason is not only legal but legally protected. Go figure.
mjh012363 1 year ago
From the studies I've seen, the higher your intellect, the more likely you are to be an atheist. Also, the higher your intellect, the greater risk you are at for depression.
It's worth noting that I have religious folk in my family who are both very intelligent and very depressed- my father, for example.
I think that there are too many factors to take into account.
Gaawachan 1 year ago
@Gaawachan We're not satisfied with easy answers or sweeping answers that tie everything up in to a neat little ball...
I do think though it's a good idea if you are of this temperment - because we know this - to really take time each day to look at what is going well.
CityzenJane 1 year ago
no ther isn't ther is a link tho with smarter people normaly have a slightly difrent brain
i got it bad (a thing on the autismun spectrum, note most people who have somthing on autisum spectrum won't notice it becuse ther just difrent but not realy wirse like the sevire cases =D) but ya persinaly i say f*** depresion it's just normaly a time when i don't feal this bright and jolly crap!
jannikmt 1 year ago
I've become able to reason away my depression when it happens, being able to realize when my thinking becomes unreasonable. My depression (part of my bipolar), along with my life, has made me cynical. Because of this, I also see joy and excitement as unreasonable.
One of my symptoms is that I always have several trains of thought going on at once, most of them subconscious. Because of this, I passively figure things out all the time. This is where my atheism, among other things, came from.
ootdega 1 year ago
Hi Autumn,
If anything I believe Intelligence comes with a higher risk of depression. There is the cliche: "Ignorance is bliss."
Sometimes I envy dense people for the thick fog bubble that surrounds them where no new knowledge could ever penetrate. It only concerns me because I care about humanity's future.
Some people might not be smart enough to get depressed. I think there are bare minimum Intelligence requirements for certain things. Meditation can help by learning to control my thoughts.
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago 2
@RELIGIONmustDIE Really not true....dogs get depressed. Anyone can suffer from it...It's not really a matter of intellectual apprehension that may make it more acute. It's very much about seratonin, dopamine etc etc etc...There are however things we know that help - exercise, sunshine, having engaging work or hobbies, connection (not isolation), gratitude and giving.... fish oil lots of it.
Plenty of less smart people get depressed...they just are not as articulate about it.
CityzenJane 1 year ago
@CityzenJane Yeah, I got that wrong. Its true that animals can get depressed. Though I still think that more intelligent people are perhaps more vulnerable to getting depressed. I vaguely remember seeing a study and statistics on that subject.
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
@RELIGIONmustDIE correlation is not causation.... "D
CityzenJane 1 year ago
Comment removed
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
@CityzenJane ok.. I'll ignore the last thing you just said..
I just wish you'd look into things before dismissing them offhand. Intelligence and depression are linked. Part of it due to internal dialog. In more intelligent people the internal dialog can be more creative (improved language skills/vocabulary) and potentially more detrimental. Dim people have very little internal dialog, are less aware of the world/surrounding environment and are at lower risk for depression. Think Forest Gump!
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
@RELIGIONmustDIE Belieeeeeeve me - I've "looked into it"........
CityzenJane 1 year ago
@CityzenJane then..... Why act like it's all physical brain chemicals? Most cases of depression are influenced by the environment and affected by the way the person thinks. Changing the way you think about something changes the way you feel about it. Can't you see how people with active articulate minds can be more affected by this and how it can factor in with depression? I think basic psychology should be taught to children while they are young.
I wonder how you managed to "look into it"...
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
@CityzenJane It's not all brain hardware and chemicals as you put it. Many cases of depression are caused by software problems. Usually it's a bit of both. Hardware and software working together in a loop.
Understanding the software and the programming language can make a huge difference.
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
You also mentioned meditation, which is not an exclusive religious exercise. Sam Harris, for instance, regularly meditates. So, just because we do not believe does not imply the benefits of religion you elude to are out of reach for us non-believers. BTW, great that you already were diagnosed. Being able to pinpoint what is wrong with you makes a BIG difference. Also, fingers crossed for getting well.
timeofwonder2009 1 year ago
@timeofwonder2009 learning to practice it and the philosophy (not the religious bits) was the only thing that eve helped me...why we suffer/grasping/fighting change... all very useful concepts...
CityzenJane 1 year ago
Have you seen the studies that show that as intelligence goes up happiness tends to go down? So if the majority of athiests are intelligent, then it would make sense that a large portion of these people are aslo unhappy. A chemical imbalance in the brain is not the only cause of depression either.
klangeddon 1 year ago
@klangeddon ....no not the only cause...
Why link it to atheism... which is a very tiny slice of the broader term - realism. Realism applies to all sorts of things not just the existence of dieties. It affects the way you view the potential scenarios at play. SAve us Jesus scene is not among the scenarios a realist entertains...he/she is stuck with likely scenarios....in any trend of current events. Depressive tendencies are also highly correlated to accurate predictions of outcomes.
CityzenJane 1 year ago
@CityzenJane The realism bit can play a role in it. Though how likely is it that an idiot would gain a firm grasp of reality or the surrounding environment? Simple minded people will just choose a popular delusion and have the intellectual capacity/curiosity of a carrot. Also, how willing are most theists to understand and learn more about the world they live in?
Now back to intelligence subject. If you lookup "intelligence and religiosity" you can find plenty of studies about that.
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
Yeah, that probably came across as arrogant and condescending. I don't mean to say theists are stupid. There are many Intelligent theists out there.
There are many reasons why theists don't question things or seek new knowledge. There are many reasons people cling to religions. What the studies do show is that religiosity is inversely correlated with intelligence.
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
@CityzenJane If you look at the study: Race and Adolescent Depression: The Impact of Religiosity
That study is an interesting read and it backs up some of what your saying.
There is also another similar study done on elderly women, where religiosity can improve depression, by alleviating fear of death and accepting not being able to take care of themselves.
The thing is there are more factors involved than just religion.
The first study shows Asians are better off being atheist!?! Interesting!
RELIGIONmustDIE 1 year ago
Maybe the depression is from dealing with religious people? haha
klangeddon 1 year ago
"Depression is a different part of my life." Absolutely agreed. I can tell very clearly when I am thinking irrationally simply because of certain negative emotions I might be having. And those never come into play when I am thinking and contemplating my world-view in general. In fact the more intellectual pursuits probably offer me more consolation than almost anything else. And those pursuits also brought me to the position of agnostic atheism.
Hyardacil 1 year ago
I don't have depression except on rare extreme circumstance that happen during time of strong misfortune. Basically life need to hit me hard to get me down; I am another data point that breaks that stereo-type there.
The religious love cherry picking after all it is the only way they can prove there point!
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Great Video!
opaldragon75 1 year ago
I must be an exception. I am never depressed, I don't do stress or depression. Maybe it's just me?
mrgodbehere 1 year ago
People with very high intelligence (like you and me) seem to have a propensity to what I call...depressive anxiety...our brains are just more active and doing more novel things than the neurotypicals. Eventually we get tired and this exhaustion is interpreted as depression. I am an alien from another planet call aspergers.
DonSSanders 1 year ago
I wonder if this is the case in majority Atheist countries like Sweden, or if it's a product of being a minority in a religious nation.
wwwATHEISTATOMcom 1 year ago
Bullshit. Scandinavians are the least religous people on the planet while being the happiest. I would say that blaming atheism is just a way to hide other flaws in a society.
GeminiPrimeX 1 year ago
So, Johns Hopkins is calling serotonin "The God Chemical"? Previously, I've always heard this title applied to dimethyltryptamine. I sense a schism in biochemical dogma brewing...
francisnblake 1 year ago
Theists however cannot use the brain chemicals that make them happy as proof of God because God in that case would be eliminated via Occam's Razor.
supersmash43 1 year ago
I just leave this here, Depressive realism
69soulstone 1 year ago
i have shared this on Facebook...
ravenwolfgang1969 1 year ago
Your video got me wondering if maybe there was a causal link between the two and I immediately thought of Intelligence. Studies have shown that the higher their IQ the more likely someone is to question and even reject their faith, so I wondered if this was the link. However all my reading suggests I was wrong. The High IQ/Depression question has been studied and almost all the studies show a normal trend i.e. no link. Anyone got any other ideas for a causal link?
CountSpanku1a 1 year ago
I firmly believe that atheists do need to get a lot of comic relief. Sunlight helps too. ;) religion is like a drug and abused like a drug....and like a drug seratonin is involved!...not surprising. Being the sober person at the party isn't always the best BUT it can be especially when we find OTHER sober people! ;) Glad to find u!
julzabro 1 year ago
Kewel background! How do u do that? Atheists are probably more susceptible to depression becuz we actually ACCEPT reality. They say ignorance is bliss....;) So intelligence SUCKS! Interesting.
julzabro 1 year ago
People tend to be "happier" when drunk or stoned. This doesn't mean that you should spend your entire life drunk or stoned.
TychoCelchu 1 year ago
Ignorance is bliss which explains the happy theist as they "just know" everything is going to be just fine
sol3a1 1 year ago
Emilie Autumn has a sentence in one of her songs that goes like this: "Intelligent girls are more depressed because they know what the world is really like." I think that is really the case, we have no delusions to hide in, we fight for a better world, against people who care for their so-called afterlife more than taking care of this world. Who wouldn't be depressed?
psychotica81 1 year ago 2
Better Depressed then Delusional!
Some people think more then others, the more you think the more likely you will unravel religious beliefs and think of multiple possible outcomes of a given situation. It is only sensible to perform a risk assessment on things and pessimistic view points are better at this. In short, life is nastier then the illusion we initially convince our selves is real.
rarrmonkey 1 year ago
It's really simple actually. Ignorance is bliss. It's true. The more ignorant you are, the happier you are. Informed people realize how fucked up things really are, and it's damn depressing :)
AtheistPrincess14 1 year ago 2
p.s. if you are having issues with depression, don't take it lightly; I know people who have had some major problems as a result of doing so. Take care of yourself.
AlanCFA 1 year ago
Well done!!!
Autumn, your reasoning skills are already greater than those of most of the adult world. It takes a great deal of discipline to be able to work through all of the data that our brains have to process and do so in a way that rejects the easy answer.
Thanks for the info re: Claire: I didn't know that she'd closed her channel. She's closed her channel in the past and I am glad to see that she had established a backup channel last spring.She's a real talent.
AlanCFA 1 year ago
I think Modern Satanism (LaVeyan Satanism) would be a good idea for an atheist whom is uncomfortably inclined to live in a nihilistic world of the scientific method yet still seeks the ambiguous wonderment that the world of religion can offer.
The beliefs Modern Satanism have regarding the existence of god is the same as atheism but they realize the historically proven necessity for mankind to have make believe and organization.
xXChrisHATEXx5 1 year ago
I am trying to get back into exercising as a way to alleviate depression. I have heard that getting exercise can be just as effective as taking an antidepressant medication, in some people. People with severe depression need medical help, and probably shouldn't try to treat it on their own, with any sort of home remedies. I always feel relief just going out for some fresh air and walking and feeling in touch with nature. And I get a lift from listening to my fellow atheists online when I'm home.
NYatheist 1 year ago
Excellent points. I love how you communicate: with genuine feeling.
zebruh 1 year ago
There was another study which I heard on NPR (I think it was a Harvard study) that reported people who had the capacity to lie to themselves tended to be much happier than those who were honest to themselves. The liars created a happy fantasy where they dwelt. It was deduced that the honest ones see the world from a more realistic perspective, and thus were less happy. Sounds a bit like the atheism with which I'm familiar.
deepashtray 1 year ago
I have 5-ht issues too, it causes me to get migraines so I'm on a low dose second-generation tricyclic to keep my levels up enough to keep myself from going into intense pain. I think people who are Atheist that have 5-ht issues perhaps it allows us to see reality without a rose colored filter. Like I can't believe because it's a lie, and some people have to believe because it makes them feel happy. However I'd rather have reality and all it is then a lie.
MistressArte 1 year ago
Serotonin is one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain. It sort of regulates dopamine response (& vice versa). The main serotonin receptors are in the primitive midbrain, especially the raphe nuclei. I truly believe that serotonin is not lowered in most forms of depression, but increasing the availability of serotonin with antidepressants can, in a roundabout way, relieve some of the symptoms of depression. Depression occurs when the fight-or-flight response (HPA axis) becomes uncoupled.
CamW30 1 year ago
Good Vid girl
Dar0A0Nakk 1 year ago
My inability to have mystical experiences was only depressing in that religious thinking made it an issue. Understanding religion and becoming an atheist resolved that.
The fact that I can't get proper sleep, suffered from severe sleep deprivation, most likely have fibro myalgia ie generic mutli-faceted pain 'syndrome', and had undiagnosed non-hereditary fructose intolerance for who know how many years which caused many troubling symptoms, is why I became depressed and still struggle with it.
dookiecheez 1 year ago
Once again, spot on.
However, I, myself, have been very happy as an atheist, I was actually the most depressed during my religious phase.
Raymondo2123 1 year ago
You're awesome Autumn.
alexlodda 1 year ago
I think it might be even easier than your explanation about seratonin. I think it can be summed up by "Ignorance is bliss." Religious beliefs are very often held because people are trying to avoid the harsh realities that atheists are not afraid to accept.
msteele79 1 year ago
A little time before and after I renounced my faith (christian) I was very depressed. Nowadays I'm happier than ever before. Living the happy atheist life. <3
patatjejoppiesaus 1 year ago
I grew up with bad insomnia and depression. I became an atheist later in life after caring enough to stray from the norm and actually read and study religious texts (and not just my own). The idea that my beliefs on mythology are related to my medical conditions are quite hilarious.
Oh and i do like wearing black. It doesnt have some weird meaning to me. I dont dress in the aim of appearing a certain way either. Black simply is easy to match and hard to stain. It also looks good on me.
drinkycrow67 1 year ago
Most of the people I know that have a problem with depression are religious. There is nothing but hope, and a false hope at that. I was recently be diagnosed with cancer and one thing for sure I am not trusting a god to help me, but the latest in medical treatments, and I am winning! My doctor even asked me why I am so positive, and I told him because I kicked Jesus to the curb! It is so self loathing to be religious! I am glad I am FREE, HAPPY and recovering! We have far more than they do!
ktorch 1 year ago
@ktorch
Best wishes, mate.
d3st88 1 year ago
Great job on noticing the connection!
This reminds me of another study. People were given a button and were asked to press it, in order to turn on a light on a screen. The light wasn't actually connected to the button, and turned on randomly. People without depression believed they were actually in control, when they were not, and came up with the most intricate algorithms for pressing the button. The study showed that depressed people were actually more realist, but felt less in control.
alcyonae 1 year ago
Believers also experiment depression, but since they don't like truth, they don't admit it.
j9dz2sf 1 year ago
Interesting video. By the way, I think you might enjoy talking with another YouTuber, named Exploring real. I'll send you a link to her channel.
WildwoodClaire1 1 year ago
I have never felt so free science deconverting. Yes bad things still happen, Yes I still deal with it. In fact when I was a believer I had been recommended for depression meds. I refused to take them (thank god) LOL and later I got better.
I feel like anyone that thinks deep enough long enough, sooner or later wants to jump off a bridge, because of the idiots. I think the idiots want to jump. . . well . . . because they are idiots and have no other plan. A BIG difference. Don't jump
pumpstations 1 year ago
I found the problem...NPR...what's more depressing than that? :p
l337pwnage 1 year ago
religion at best is a placebo
LogicalThinker667 1 year ago
Thanks Autumn
IslandAtheist 1 year ago
I think religion is often used as a palative for people who honestly can't handle the pain and suffering that exist in the world. I have found that my depression is caused because my life circumstances do not correlate with what I feel and know is possible for me. When one feels they have no control over their lives depression can ensue, usually taking action can alleviate depression but when the situation doesn't change one can continue to feel depressed, at least this is my experience with it.
TheRealNickBravo 1 year ago