{"id":46179,"date":"2021-08-10T18:08:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T22:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=46179"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:05:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:05:21","slug":"lost-connections-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/lost-connections-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Connections: Book Overview (Johann Hari)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the Lost Connections<\/em> book about? What are the solutions to depression highlighted in the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lost Connections<\/em> book challenges the belief that depression is just a chemical imbalance in the brain<\/a>, and instead highlights the psychological, social, and biological factors that are the real root causes of depression. The book suggests a few ways to tackle depression including community care, social prescribing<\/a>, walking through childhood trauma, and curbing materialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more about how the Lost Connections<\/em> book explores alternative causes of depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is the Premise of the Lost Connections <\/em>Book?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people think depression is just a \u201cchemical imbalance\u201d in the brain: specifically, that it\u2019s caused by low serotonin levels. However, that\u2019s not the whole story: There\u2019s more to depression than just biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, most experts use the biopsychosocial model<\/a> to talk about depression, which recognizes three root causes of depression: biology, psychological history, and social factors. In Lost Connections<\/em>, journalist Johann Hari investigates the psychological and social factors that contribute to depression (which he calls \u201cdisconnections\u201d), as well as innovative social and environmental treatments for depression (or \u201creconnections\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this summary of the Lost Connections<\/em> book, we\u2019ll explore seven types of disconnections that contribute to depression (including the real<\/em> role of biology). We\u2019ll also discuss the reason antidepressants don\u2019t work for most people. Finally, we\u2019ll explore seven reconnections that may help us to collectively heal depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnections From Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even if biology isn\u2019t the primary cause of depression for most people, depression is a very real physical illness<\/strong> that can be triggered by external factors (just like how dust or dairy can trigger an allergic reaction). This section explores the social factors that were covered in the Lost Connections<\/em> book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From Meaningful Relationships<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One factor that can cause depression is disconnection from meaningful relationships<\/a> with other people.<\/strong> The reason why this causes depression is rooted deep in human evolutionary history: Millions of years ago, the only way for early humans to avoid becoming a tasty snack for a predator was to band together into tribes. People who felt miserably depressed when they wandered off on their own were more motivated to stick with the tribe, so they were more likely than loners to survive long enough to pass on their genes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, humans are more socially isolated than ever before. Studies show that most American adults have zero<\/em> close confidants. According to the Lost Connections<\/em> book, living with other people or in a big city doesn\u2019t change that because solving loneliness isn\u2019t just about gaining physical proximity to others: It\u2019s about developing a mutually meaningful <\/em>connection with someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From Positive Social Status<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some scientists think that human depression is a stress response from our evolutionary history, linked to a feeling of low social status. Researchers discovered this effect by studying the social hierarchies of baboons. For male baboons in particular, competition for the top spots is brutal. To avoid being ripped apart, low-status baboons make themselves as non-threatening as possible by lowering themselves physically as a way to say, \u201cYou win. Please don\u2019t hurt me.\u201d Their posture and behavior mimic those of severely depressed people. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common life hardships like financial insecurity, lack of control over your daily life, and fractured relationships can inflict as much pain on a person as an alpha baboon inflicts on a weaker male, and make us feel that we\u2019re \u201cworse\u201d or lower-status than other people. So, we react with the same submission response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threatened Social Status Triggers Depression, Too<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just those with low social status who suffer from depression. People with high social status are also prone to depression because they\u2019re constantly worried about threats to their position. Research shows that highly unequal societies (with a large gap between those at the bottom and those at the top) have higher rates of depression for everyone<\/em>, regardless of their status, than countries with a smaller gap between the top and bottom rungs of the social ladder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From Past Trauma<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Childhood trauma is one of the most reliable predictors of adult depression according to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. The study\u2019s results show that people who had experienced ACEs were more likely to suffer health problems, including depression,<\/strong> and the more ACEs you have, the more likely you are to experience depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From Hope for the Future<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Losing the ability to imagine and plan for the future due to financial instability can contribute to depression. The rise of the \u201cgig economy\u201d means that stable, guaranteed employment is no longer the norm<\/strong>. More people than ever are working for hourly wages with no contract and no guarantee that they\u2019ll still have a job next week, let alone next year. Without that security, it becomes impossible to picture the future\u2014and easy to get depressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnections From Meaning and Purpose<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When everyday life feels meaningless<\/a>, it\u2019s easy to slip into a deep depression. The Lost Connections<\/em> book shines the spotlight on people living in cities, struggling to find stable work and surrounded by shallow advertisements, fighting back against that sense of meaninglessness is even more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From a Rewarding Work Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2011 and 2012, a Gallup poll showed that only 13% of adults are \u201centhusiastic about and committed to\u201d their work. The three main reasons for this are a lack of control over the job, low professional status, and a disconnect between effort and reward (for example, if working harder doesn\u2019t translate to more money or status). At the same time, work hours are expanding\u2014the \u201cnine to five\u201d is now more of a \u201cseven to seven\u201d\u2014which means that many people spend the majority of their time working a job they don\u2019t like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnection From Intrinsic Motivation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people persevere in a depressing job because it pays well. That\u2019s an example of extrinsic motivation\u2014doing something just as a means to an end. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation<\/a> <\/strong>is what drives you<\/a> to do things purely for the joy of them. Studies show that achieving intrinsic goals increases happiness, but achieving extrinsic goals doesn\u2019t<\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong> <\/strong>In fact, over time, it does the opposite: Dozens of studies from all over the world show that the more extrinsically motivated<\/a> you are, the more likely you are to develop depression and anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materialism Leads to Depression<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Extrinsic motivation can manifest as materialism, and the Lost Connections<\/em> book highlights two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Materialistic people have shorter, lower-quality relationships with others<\/a><\/strong> because they\u2019re preoccupied with accumulating money and status. Their social needs aren\u2019t met as, in chasing the status and material stuff they think <\/em>they need to be happy, they inevitably neglect their real<\/em> need for connection.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Materialistic people have a less secure sense of self-worth<\/a><\/strong> because they constantly worry about impressing others in order to earn external rewards.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Disconnection From Nature<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Many of us live in cities, far from the natural world. When we\u2019re disconnected from the natural world in this way, we often become caught up in our own problems and lose sight of the greater sense of meaning in our lives. In a sense, humans living in dense cities are similar to unhappy wild animals in captivity, and we\u2019re similarly distressed: Rates of all forms of mental illness are higher in cities than in rural areas, and people in urban areas with more green space (like parks) have better mental health than people in urban areas without access to green space. The Lost Connections<\/em> book uses three scientific theories to explain this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Modern, sedentary lifestyles don\u2019t meet our evolutionary needs.<\/strong> Humans are animals, and like all animals, our bodies were designed to move.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. We have an innate preference for natural landscapes.<\/strong> Scientists call this \u201cbiophilia,\u201d and it explains why even the smallest exposure to nature can have profound effects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Connecting to nature breaks the grip of the ego.<\/strong> The pain of depression causes people to sink into themselves. But out in nature, that pain no longer seems like the biggest thing in the world because it\u2019s so small compared to the expansive landscape.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The Real Role of Biology in Depression<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      As we\u2019ve seen, biology isn\u2019t the sole cause of (or sole treatment for) depression, but there are still very real biological factors at play in the disease\u2019s development and effects on the body: namely, neuroplasticity and genetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Neuroplasticity <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Neuroplasticity<\/a> is one of the two biological factors identified by the Lost Connections<\/em> book. It is your brain\u2019s ability to change its structure in response to the environment. Each part of the brain works a bit like a muscle\u2014the more you use it, the bigger and stronger it gets. For example, London taxi drivers who\u2019ve memorized a map of the entire city have larger hippocampal regions (the part of the brain that controls memory) than people in other professions. Similarly, connecting to other people, your own experiences, and a meaningful life keeps the emotion centers of your brain in top shape. On the other hand, dis<\/em>connecting from those things creates a steady stream of minor emotional upsets that, over time, weaken those parts of the brain and make it harder to maintain a sense of wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This means that, for most people, depression <\/strong>creates<\/em><\/strong> changes in the brain<\/strong>\u2014not the other way around. <\/strong>Social, psychological, and environmental disconnections deprive the emotion centers of the brain of the experiences they need to make us feel happy; if those disconnections persist, that unhappiness grows into depression, which makes it even more<\/em> difficult to establish those beneficial connections and ultimately results in further changes in the emotion centers of the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The good news is, neuroplasticity also means that depression isn\u2019t a static state, <\/strong>because no one is born with a brain that is fundamentally, structurally depressed. If brains can change to become depressed, they can also change back to not<\/em> being depressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Genetics <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Genetics is the other biological factor identified in the Lost Connections<\/em> book. Studies show that depression is roughly 37% inherited,<\/strong> meaning genetics are<\/em> a big piece of the mental illness puzzle. However, they\u2019re not the biggest piece: Roughly 63% of the basis for depression comes from somewhere outside<\/em> of biology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Even if you have genes that increase your vulnerability to depression, those genes alone aren\u2019t enough to actually cause depression\u2014the genes have to be \u201cswitched on\u201d by the environment. In other words, if you have a perfect life with no major disconnections, you won\u2019t become depressed, even with a genetic predisposition to the illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Placebo Effect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      All of this evidence about the causes of depression points to one thing: If biology isn\u2019t the only problem causing depression, then medication shouldn\u2019t be the only solution to the illness.<\/strong> So why is medication so popular? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Lost Connections <\/em>book places the blame on the placebo effect<\/strong>. The idea behind the effect is that every medical treatment actually has two parts: the treatment itself and the story that goes with it. For example, when you take medicine for a headache, you don\u2019t just swallow a pill\u2014you swallow a story about how that particular medicine can cure headaches. Your belief <\/em>in that story can sometimes create the same physical results as the treatment itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For antidepressants, studies show that only 25% of their positive effects were due to the chemicals themselves. <\/strong>Natural recovery accounted for another 25%, and the additional 50% came down to the placebo effect<\/a>. Most people have never heard those statistics because in the U.S., pharmaceutical companies control every step of the drug research and development process. Every drug they release brings in more money, so they continue to sell the idea that chemical antidepressants are the most effective treatment for depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reconnect to Others<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      So, what non-biological treatments could we use to tackle depression? The Lost Connections book suggests solutions\u2014or \u201creconnections\u201d\u2014that are promising new ways to treat depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Build Genuine Relationships<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Depression creates an ego-centric worldview\u2014you\u2019re<\/em> unhappy, you <\/em>don\u2019t feel good enough\u2014so countering that narrative by focusing on the group<\/em> and building relationships with people is more powerful than looking for a quick fix on your own. Focusing on other people forces your attention out of your own head and creates the mental breathing room you need to genuinely connect to others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The idea that depression is a personal issue that should be dealt with alone is a symptom of Western individualist values. In the West, we see happiness as an individual thing, so we address it on an individual level. We engage in \u201cself-care\u201d and read books from the \u201cself-help\u201d section, but never ask for help or allow ourselves to be truly vulnerable around others. However, in Asian countries, if you set out to make yourself happy, you’ll most likely engage in communal<\/em> care because you see your happiness as intrinsically tied to the happiness of your community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Case Study: The Kotti Neighborhood Protest<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      The power of connecting with others<\/a> is evident in the example of Nuriye Cengiz, an elderly woman living in Kotti, a working-class neighborhood in Berlin. Nuriye was facing eviction because she couldn\u2019t afford the most recent rent increase in her area. Distraught, she hung a note in her window explaining to her neighbors that she intended to kill herself before being forced out of her home. Neighbors from all different walks of life reached out and quickly recognized that their housing situation (and resulting depression) was a collective<\/em> issue, not an individual one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As a result of that realization, elderly Muslims, single mothers, teenage punks, and retired Communists banded together to call for justice for people like Nuriye in a makeshift protest camp\u2014all under an umbrella donated by a local gay bar. Their individual experiences of depression were created by a force bigger than any one individual could fight alone, but taking action together<\/em> created real change that improved everyone\u2019s<\/em> individual mental health, including Nuriye\u2019s: She didn\u2019t kill herself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let Go of Your Ego<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Depression has a way of shrinking your worldview<\/a> down until all you can see is your own pain, so finding ways to step outside that narrow focus<\/a> can be a powerful antidepressant. A type of meditation<\/a> practice called \u201csympathetic joy\u201d can relieve depression by breaking the grip of the ego. Sympathetic joy<\/a> is the practice of intentionally feeling genuine happiness for other people. Over time, this trains your body to produce a rush of joy whenever you see someone else succeed, which connects you to an unlimited source of happiness (because at any given moment, someone, somewhere, is succeeding). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      New research on the clinical effects of psychedelic drugs<\/a> (like LSD) offers another way to let go of the ego. Early research from the 1950s showed that psychedelics could have all kinds of benefits for mental health, from helping people break lifelong addictions to healing chronic depression. More recent research shows that giving people psilocybin (the psychedelic chemical found in \u201cmagic\u201d mushrooms) in a supervised, clinical environment can sometimes induce intense spiritual experiences in which people feel deeply connected to all living things. For some people, that sense of connection can permanently alleviate depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Use Social Prescribing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Reconnecting to other people can be difficult. Some doctors are trying a radical idea to help\u2014what if, in addition to drugs, your doctor could prescribe social connection<\/em> with a range of structured programs (like group volunteering) designed for that exact purpose?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This idea is called social prescribing, and it gives doctors back the power to fully care for their patients\u2019 health on the biological, psychological, and<\/em> social levels. Doctors who use social prescribing also prescribe antidepressants, but they see them as a temporary tool to ease the pain so people can make bigger lifestyle changes. This isn\u2019t a solution anyone can necessarily take on alone, but you can advocate for it with your own doctor or as part of larger healthcare reforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reconnect to Your Past and Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      In addition to connecting with others, recovering from depression requires acknowledging past trauma and reclaiming a hopeful future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Work Through Childhood Trauma<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Talking openly about childhood trauma is painful, and it\u2019s understandable to want to avoid that pain. However, research shows that it\u2019s not just trauma itself that causes depression\u2014it\u2019s the experience of keeping that trauma buried inside for years. In a way, opening up about past trauma is like disinfecting a wound: It\u2019s painful in the short-term, but it saves you from an infection that would continue to cause problems down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The medical field can play an important role in addressing trauma on a community level. In one study, doctors expressed empathy for patients\u2019 childhood trauma and asked if they\u2019d like to talk about it. As a result, patients were 35% less likely to need follow-up care for any<\/em> condition, mental or physical. Another study offered patients the option to discuss their trauma with a therapist\u2014those patients were 50% less likely to need follow-up medical care from a doctor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Create a Hopeful Future<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      To restore a hopeful future, you need to advocate for a collective economic safety net that prevents anyone from falling through the cracks. That way, even if you work an unstable job without guaranteed hours, you\u2019ll still have at least some control over your future because there\u2019s a base level of support you can always count on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Universal Basic Income<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      In the 1970s, a small town in Canada experimented with a groundbreaking economic policy called universal basic income<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, in which the government directly paid every citizen the bare minimum they needed to survive<\/strong> (in today\u2019s money, roughly $19,000 U.S. each), no strings attached. The hope was that public health would improve when people no longer had to worry about having enough to eat or a roof over their heads. It worked: After three years, school retention and performance improved, parents took longer parental leave, and gender gaps evened out as personal income allowed women to afford higher education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The experiment also had a powerful impact on community mental health, including a 9% drop in hospitalizations for depression and anxiety during that time.<\/strong> Other communities around the world have replicated this experiment with similar positive results: For example, a Native American tribe saw a 40% decrease in childhood behavioral and mental health problems after implementing a universal basic income. Parents in the tribe had more time to focus<\/a> on their children as a guaranteed income removed the need to be constantly working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Objections to Universal Basic Income<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Despite this promising research, many people see universal basic income as a radical, amoral, and completely unfeasible idea. Here\u2019s how experts in the field respond to the three most common objections to universal basic income:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. \u201cIt will make people lazy\u2014they\u2019ll just watch Netflix all day.\u201d<\/strong> If you ask people what they<\/em> would do with a guaranteed income, almost everyone says they would pursue a dream, like finishing a degree or starting a business. In other words, most people have ambitions beyond Netflix.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. \u201cNo one <\/strong>wants<\/em><\/strong> to scrub floors, but it has to be done. If people don\u2019t need the money, nobody will take those types of jobs.\u201d<\/strong> That\u2019s true, but it\u2019s a good thing. It means employers in service industries will have to provide higher pay and better benefits to attract workers\u2014in other words, they\u2019d have to start actually valuing their employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. \u201cIt\u2019s expensive.\u201d<\/strong> Yes, it is. This is the most common criticism of universal basic income, and it\u2019s a valid concern. However, the evidence from early studies suggests that a basic income could actually save <\/em>government money in the long run by reducing healthcare costs from physical and mental illnesses caused by constant financial stress, lack of access to resources, and poor work environments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Reconnect to a Meaningful Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        In addition to reconnecting to your past, your future, and others, to heal from depression, the Lost Connections<\/em> book also emphazises the need to reconnect to a sense of meaning and purpose in everyday life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Create Democratic Workplaces<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Being forced to work at a job you hate just to pay the bills is a surefire recipe for depression\u2014but when job prospects are limited and rent is due, quitting a soul-sucking job isn\u2019t an option for most people, nor is it necessary for this reconnection. Instead, as a society, we need to reexamine our approach to work so that fewer people hate their jobs in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        One way to do this is through democratic cooperatives like Baltimore Bicycle Works. This bike shop is collectively owned by a group of friends and works like any democracy: Employees elect leaders, make decisions, and share profits as a group. The lack of hierarchy means that anyone can propose an idea, and everyone\u2019s opinion counts\u2014providing reconnections to meaningful work<\/a> and <\/em>to positive social status. That equal footing means that everyone has at least some control of their work, leading to happier employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Curb Materialism<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Reconnecting to meaningful and enjoyable work is important, but when you\u2019re inundated with harmful, materialistic messages the moment you step outside, it\u2019s hard for those positive effects to carry over. For that reason, the Lost Connections<\/em> book suggests ways to curb materialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Advertising Makes Us Miserable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        The biggest culprit in the rise of materialism is advertising. Advertisers manipulate consumers by selling them a story that there\u2019s something \u201cwrong\u201d with them that only the newest product can fix. This creates a cycle of misery: You get the message that you\u2019re not good enough as you are, so you buy whatever the ad is selling, but it doesn\u2019t make you happy (because there was nothing wrong with you in the first place), and that misery primes you to be more susceptible to harmful advertising messages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        One approach to stop this cycle is to ban advertising altogether.<\/strong> It may seem like a radical step, but several countries have banned different types of advertising with encouraging results. In Brazil, the city of S\u00e3o Paulo banned all forms of outdoor advertising in 2007 with the widely popular \u201cClean City Law\u201d\u2014now, 70% of residents believe it\u2019s made the city a better place to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Refocus on Intrinsic Motivations<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        Another way to curb materialism is to refocus on intrinsic motivations. For example, in Minneapolis, an experimental group of sixty parents, their teenage children, and a professional financial advisor met regularly for three months to discuss their relationship to money and materialism. The advisor guided them through a series of exercises designed to help them reconnect to their values. Participants discussed their spending habits, listed their intrinsic motivations, and held each other accountable to only spend discretionary cash on things that actually made them happy (instead of just more \u201cstuff\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        At the end of the study, the group who dug into their money habits and refocused on their values had significantly lower levels of materialism and significantly higher self-esteem than the control group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Collective Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        As we\u2019ve seen, depression is a societal issue, not an individual one\u2014so we can\u2019t expect to conquer it individually. Even if you could<\/em> cure depression on your own, if you\u2019re working endless hours at a dead-end job just to make rent, you\u2019re unlikely to have the time or energy to do so! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Instead, to tackle depression, we need large-scale societal changes, including a fundamental restructuring of personal, cultural, and economic priorities. That\u2019s a daunting task\u2014but so was marriage equality, not to mention women\u2019s suffrage, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the election of a Black president. With enough momentum, big changes are absolutely possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        What is the Lost Connections book about? What are the solutions to depression highlighted in the book? The Lost Connections book challenges the belief that depression is just a chemical imbalance in the brain, and instead highlights the psychological, social, and biological factors that are the real root causes of depression. The book suggests a few ways to tackle depression including community care, social prescribing, walking through childhood trauma, and curbing materialism. Read on to learn more about how the Lost Connections book explores alternative causes of depression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":32984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,16,9],"tags":[464],"class_list":["post-46179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-health","category-psychology","tag-lost-connections","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nLost Connections: Book Overview (Johann Hari) - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are the causes of depression identified in the Lost Connections book? 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