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Depression is an epidemic in our country. Statistics show that in a given year around 19 million people are treated for depression. A 2016 statistic in JAMA Internal Medicine reported 12% of Americans take at least one antidepressant.
I can’t help thinking this surge in depression since the 1950’s and 60’s has to do with our lifestyle more than anything else. Modernization of cars, the availability of a car to almost all economic levels, the advent of the Uber; these all have led us to be more mobile, which is great.
The problem is, as a result of all of these modern wonders, we all move LESS.
How else can one explain our dark spiral into mood disorders over the past few decades? Women’s rights and race relations, while far from perfect, are a heck of a lot better than in 1960. Most job conditions are better and there are unions, fair wage laws, and safer labor conditions. Yet still so many of us live in despair.
A few studies I’ve come across have led me to this theory.
One study of over 10,000 people used an app where researchers could reach participants to ask questions like “How happy are you right now?” and “What’s your mood like right now?” Follow up questions then included “What were you doing in the last 15 minutes: sitting, standing, lying down, walking, running, etc.?”
After 17 months of this questioning, the results were clear. When people get up and move, even a little, they are happier than when they are at rest. The results may not be lasting, but they can be regenerated with more movement!
Another intriguing study confirms the vast amount of data that exercise over the long term protects against depression and anxiety. Somehow, the stress we face in our lives can add to depression risk, but exercise cushions against this, making us more emotionally resilient.
This study actually biopsied muscle of people involved after intense aerobic exercise, looking for a spike in a known muscle-released enzyme called PGC-1alpha1. In many mice experiments, high levels of this enzyme has appeared to render mice depression-resistant. In case you were wondering, scientists can tell if mice are depressed when they lose weight, stop drinking sugar water given to them, or stop trying to escape cold water mazes, succumbing to the cold.
The participants had spikes in this PGC-1alpha1 enzyme after intense exercise like jogging or biking for 50 minutes. After 3 weeks of an exercise routine, their muscles maintained these higher levels compared with those who didn’t follow the exercise routine.
So the same enzyme that protects against depression in rodents can protect against depression in adults—if they exercise to get their muscles to release the enzyme. Pretty cool, huh?
What if you’ve already been diagnosed with depression? So many studies confirm that exercise is a treatment for reducing symptoms of depression.
One study looked at depressed individuals who had symptoms of an inability to let go of gloomy thoughts (as many depressed people do), and a constant ruminating on unhappy thoughts. These individuals started an exercise routine of jogging or biking for 30 minutes, twice a week. After 8 weeks, scientists re-tested as they did at the beginning, focusing on their concentration abilities and moods.
Guess what? The results were significant! The average participant had a 40 percent reduction in symptoms of depression. In particular, they all showed much less inclination to ruminate over bad thoughts.
Bottom line: you reduce the risk of depression if you exercise over the long term. If you are having a stressful day, a walk around the block a couple of times can brighten that day. If you’re depressed, exercise will lessen your symptoms over time.
So my theory seem justified—the fact that we all move less as a country compared to 1960 has to be directly related to our trend toward not taking the stairs but escalators, not walking anywhere but taking cars everywhere, and sitting our butts down in front of the TV for hours more than we ever did before.
Thank you modern post-industrial America!
