Analysis Of Depressingly Easy By Kelly Lambert

In “Depressingly Easy,” Kelly Lambert argues that modern rates of depression are directly linked to a lack of hard work. Lambert began questioning the reason behind the increase in depression when reading a book to her daughter about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Compared to the time of Laura Ingalls, advancements in technology have decreased the amount of hard work needed by individuals. However, Lambert argues that work provides necessary “effort-driven rewards” for the brain (3). Lambert describes these rewards as a neurological response that stimulates the release of “feel good” neurochemicals upon completing a complex task. The nucleus accumbens, the pleasure center of the brain, controls this response as well as the brain’s motor system and emotion
and learning system. Together they correlate to the various symptoms of depression such as a lack of concentration and negative thoughts. Yet people, Lambert explains, can train their brains to combat the symptoms of depression as shown in the Trust Fund Rats experiment. Effort-driven tasks engrained in people’s lives guard the brain against many forms of mental illness.