The Good Mood: The New Psychology of Overcoming Depression

I was skeptical. Author Simon somehow cured his chronic depression with a new mode of thinking? How can that be possible? I read the raves about this book and figured, what the hell, worth a try. I have suffered depression for nearly 50 years, although never the suicidal, dysfunctional, weepy kind that leads to withdrawal from life or suicide. Julian Simon examines the type of thinking the depressed do, and the kind of messages they repeat to themselves. Yes, I, too repeated such messages myself, again and again silently. He explains what to do instead - and I'll be damned - it worked. It is not "jolly thinking," nor a mantra. It is a different way of messaging yourself, not necessarily positively, but not in the way depressed people think or talk to themselves. And it works, and quickly. I still have the tendency to sink toward depression, but I can now immediately intercept and disrupt a depressed mood before it develops. For me and many others, this book is indeed a miracle.

The premise of Simon's theory is that depression is due to our tendency to compare ourselves to others, how we used to be, what we hope to be, etc. It sounds simplistic, but the book is actually very comprehensive. Rather than making generalizations about all depressed people, he details many different methods and combinations of methods so that you can choose the ones that will work for you.

lofas

This is an excellent overview of the practical insights of cognitive science. And Simon adds a genuinely original contribution to the field: The idea that all our depressing thoughts spring from our universal tendency to compare ourselves or our circumstances to someone or something else. If the comparison is good, we feel good; if it is bad, we feel bad.Of course, if you look at your own life in an overly negative or pessimistic way, your comparison may turn out worse than it really is, making you feel bad unnecessarily. And if you decide you're helpless to improve your state, that will make you depressed. From the simple idea of comparison, all the different modes of cognitive science are clarified and fit into the larger picture. Simon normally writes on economics. He wrote this book because of his own personal struggle with depression.