Antidepressants In Brave New World

“All you optimists out there can wipe that smile off your face right now. Being miserable is the key to a longer life, says one of the most extensive studies of its type ever undertaken. Psychologists found that the most cheerful individuals, with the best sense of humour, die earlier on average than their counterparts with the set jaw and furrowed brow.The researchers also discovered that the happy souls went on to take more gambles with their health over the years. They were more likely to drink, smoke and eat badly.” (Daily Mail)

In the famous 1930’s novel, Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, a huge theme within deals with happiness. Soma, a drug used to create simultaneous happiness, is referred to numerous times throughout the
People ask why would someone do that? It is not worth the harm caused to the body, or even the end of a life. What people don’t understand is that sometimes people can be in such bad state of unhappiness, or depression that the only way to solve the problem is by taking these antidepressants. As in Brave New World, soma is used as a stimulant to result in an extreme amount of happiness in a very short amount of time. Just as antidepressants are used in today’s society. The people who take these drugs may be using it for depression, or other conditions such as anxiety or shyness. They can even be taken by people who are 100% healthy to make them feel better about themselves. Some may argue that these pills aren’t truly making one “jovial”, that the drug being used is really just covering up their unhappiness but putting them in a slightly better mood. “People can also drown their sorrows in alcohol or get a euphoric feeling using narcotics, but few people who do would be called truly happy.” (NYTimes) I would never personally recommend that someone takes antidepressants to make them happy. However, I believe that if someone is truly unhappy, that to fix it with other methods such as therapy would take years, maybe even months. That’s a waste of a lifetime. Years and months that could go by with not the slightest bit of happiness, when at the pop of a lid, and a sip of water happiness could be achieved in minutes. If a person is putting the pills in their mouth, they must likely know the precautions that will come with. Their happiness is worth it though. Soma is used to “subdue all malice and bad tempers” just as modern society uses antidepressants. Nowadays, millions of people are being prescribed antidepressants to “get rid of unhappiness.” Of course, this along with cliff diving, can result in a shorter life; however, it's more than worth the risk.