Artificial Happiness in Brave New World

Even though the book “ A Brave New World,” was written 87 years ago, it’s values still apply to the world today. For example, in the book there is a drug that is used widely to help people constantly be happy. In today’s day and age, there are multiple drugs used to keep people constantly happy. One thing that each of these drugs have in common is they are both made to make the person happy for the time being while coming with unfortunate prices for the users.

Taking these drugs does not help the user gain the necessary strength to cure their depression, it only gives them a false sense of hope. There are other ways that work just as effectively as taking these drugs but without the side effects.

Antidepressants do what they are supposed to, they help to ease depression as well as make the person feel happy for the time being, but that comes with a price due to the large amount of side effects that come with the drugs. Some of the side effects include loss of sexual desire and other sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction and decreased orgasm, fatigue and drowsiness, sleep disturbance, increased appetite and weight gain. Is curing your depression worth that price, some people feel forced to make that choice as the government pushes antidepressants as the only way to help people with depression. Which they rightfully can do because of how antidepressants do help people feel better and ultimately cure their depression. But antidepressants do not help the user gain strength and the long term happiness that other alternatives do, and it is for that reason that antidepressants should not be the first choice for curing depression. Antidepressants balance chemicals in the users brain, called neurotransmitters and they affect your moods and emotions. By using antidepressants you are letting chemicals manipulate you into feeling a false sense of happiness which can help improve your mood, help you sleep, and increase your appetite. “More than 60 percent of Americans on antidepressants have taken them for 2 years or longer,” which means it takes 60 percent of users 2 years or longer to feel better. So are taking antidepressants worth it? They come with a lot of side effects, and for some people they take a long time to fully cure them, is it worth using chemicals to help you feel happiness when there are other ways to feel happiness?

Antidepressants are not the only way to help someone overcome their depression, there are others steps you can take to help someone without using drugs. As shown in the book “A Brave New World,” giving someone drugs to help them feel better does not have a positive impact on them, or society. Some alternative ways to help someone overcome their depression rather than taking drugs are helping them get more sleep, encouraging them to engage in more physical activity, and lastly helping them to cut out any unnecessary drugs, tobacco products, or alcohol that are in that person’s life. Exercise is one of the most powerful ways to combat/cure depression as it helps to create new positive changes in the brain such as neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that help you feel feelings of calm and well-being. Not only that but exercising also releases endorphins, which are very powerful chemicals in your brain that help to make you feel good.

Exercise is also a great way to distract yourself both mentally and physically due to it making you constantly think and move around which is good to help you escape the negative thoughts that feed depression. “ Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects.” Why do people play sports, workout, dance, do yoga, ride bikes, go for walks, because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. Antidepressants can’t make you forget your problems or get over them, unlike keeping yourself active which can help you forget and move on from your problems that are creating this depression. Antidepressants do make it easier for you to deal with your problems. When someone is depressed, it can distort your perception of your problems and take away the necessary energy that is used to address these difficult issues.

Taking antidepressants are effective but, there are equally if not better ways to help cure your depression which come without the side effects. Creating good exercise, sleeping, and eating habits are all important steps to cure your depression that are commonly overlooked by doctors and therapists who look straight to drugs to help their patients. As said by Nick Stafford of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, ‘There’s a lack of public understanding of the positive impact of good physical exercise.” When they should be informing their patients of the dangers of using antidepressants and informing them of the alternative ways that work just as well if not better than taking antidepressants. Antidepressant drugs are prescribed for many reasons but they are not prescribed to help someone gain strength and overcome their depression, they are prescribed more to make people feel a false sense of happiness that goes away as the drug wears off. Our society should use the book “ A Brave New World,” as an example of what not to do when it comes to tampering with people’s emotions/well-being as both shown in the book and in our world using drugs to help you feel better does not have a positive effect and essentially creates emotionless zombies.

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