9 Surprising Causes of Depression You’ve Never Considered

How modern life quietly undermines our happiness

Think depression is just bad luck or bad genes? Think again. In Lost Connections, Johann Hari reveals that our epidemic of sadness is not random—it’s the logical outcome of a society that has lost touch with what makes us human. Through years of research, Hari identifies nine key forms of disconnection that quietly fuel depression and anxiety. Each one is a missing piece of the puzzle, and together, they explain why so many of us feel lost.

• Disconnection from meaningful work: When your job feels pointless, your spirit suffers. Studies of civil servants show that lack of autonomy and purpose at work dramatically increases depression risk.
• Disconnection from other people: Loneliness is more than a feeling—it’s a medical risk factor. Social isolation raises your risk of death as much as obesity or smoking.
• Disconnection from meaningful values: When we chase money, status, and image, we drift from what really matters. ‘Junk values’ are linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression.
• Disconnection from childhood trauma: Early adversity shapes our brains and our futures. The ACE study found that childhood trauma is a powerful predictor of adult depression.
• Disconnection from status and respect: Feeling powerless or disrespected corrodes self-worth and hope.
• Disconnection from nature: Urban life, screens, and concrete have replaced the healing rhythms of the natural world.
• Disconnection from a hopeful future: Chronic adversity breeds a sense of hopelessness that colors every day.
• Disconnection from security and belonging: Without stable homes or communities, anxiety flourishes.
• Disconnection from genetics and brain changes: While biology matters, it’s shaped by environment and experience.

Each of these causes is explored through real stories—like the London women whose depression was tied not to brain chemicals, but to job loss and loneliness, or the communities that healed by coming together to garden and share. The takeaway? If depression is caused by disconnection, the cure is reconnection.
In the next sections, discover how to rebuild these lost links and reclaim your happiness from the ground up.