In her viral TEDx Houston talk, clinical researcher Dr. Brené Brown said, “We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted, and medicated adult cohort in U.S.history.”

Clearly, this isn’t working for many – if not most – of us.

I don’t think it’s going to get any better until we dig into what’s making us so miserable.

I have spent a few months thinking about it, and interviewing people for The Depression Discussions, and I have come up with the following Top 10 reasons why we’re more depressed than ever.

1. Change is unsettling, and the rate of change keeps increasing.
2. Personal white space is critical yet scarce.
3. Social media is amazing, and also triggering.
4. Instant gratification kills fulfillment and is numbing.
5. Employment paradigms have shifted permanently.
6. Retirement won’t be an option for many.
7. Smartphones own us and are addictive and isolating.
8. Loose connections don’t replace personal relationships.
9. Happiness is the wrong goal.
10. Busywork is bad – but good work is the gift.

My next major body of work will be around exploring each of these reasons more in depth. I hope you’ll come along with me.