Our culture has moved away from many of the things our species has traditionally been known for—things like being outside, living in tight-knit communities, being physically active, and having downtime alone with our thoughts. In fact, a study from the University of Virginia in collaboration with Harvard found a surprising number of people who had previously said they would pay money to avoid being electrically shocked would then voluntarily shock themselves instead of sitting quietly and thinking when forced to be alone in a room (with nothing else to do) for only 6 to 15 minutes.
Research is showing depression is on the rise. Could it be from the lack of these things in our lives? Forbes contributor, Alice G. Walton, has published a list of simple things we can do to get back to our traditional ways in an effort to improve our state of mind. You can read her thoughts in 8 Things We're Doing Wrong For Our Mental Health (And How We Can Do Better).