U.S. and U.K.'s Individuality Is Depressing, but Social Nets May Help | Technomix | Fast Company

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U.S. and U.K.'s Individuality Is Depressing, but Social Nets May Help
BY KIT EATONFri Nov 6, 2009 at 11:56 AM

Western society's habits, according to a new survey, are resulting in overly individualistic behavior that makes us depressed. But before that news makes you sad, a different piece of research says the social networking boom may be able to help.

The Northwestern University study examined depression and anxiety in different nations around the world, comparing in particular individualistic nations like those in the West, and collectivist nations like China. Interestingly the U.K. came top in individualism (that stiff upper lip perhaps?), followed by the U.S., Australia, and Western Europe. And though you may think that's a good thing, it comes at a price: Around one in ten Brits are sufferers of depression and anxiety, compared to one in twelve in Europe and a mere one in 25 in China. Though there's likely to be a genetic component in action, it seems likely that Western individualism is causing stress and sadness.
So what's to blame? Is it our social habits? The change in society that means kids no longer play together in the park? Or is it the rise in mobile phones, Internet use and social networking--in some minds evil technology that are mainly a solo habit and which must be inherently bad for you?
Well, according to the American Life project and Pew Internet, it's not the latter. Mobile phone users have a 12% larger circle of close friends than people who don't use mobiles (are there any of them left, anyway?). People who engage in life-sharing activities via systems like Facebook or Twitter, posting status updates or pics of their activities have 9% bigger friendship groups than those who avoid social nets. And though there's a knock-on negative effect of

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