The Walkman, the original portable audiocassette player and forerunner to the iPod, allowed us to shut out the rest of the world and become our own personalised islands of individualism. We could legitimately ignore other people; we could listen to what we wanted, when we wanted, where we wanted. Furthermore, nobody else benefited from our Walkman unless we chose to share an earphone with them – which we rarely did.
The Walkman became an icon of individualism, reflecting values such as independence, autonomy and personal preference. Launched in July 1979, the device epitomised a rising tide of self-interest and individualism in already relatively individualistic western societies.
The main individualistic countries on Earth are English-speaking. Interestingly, English, as far as I know, is the only language in the world to use a single capitalised letter “I” as a first-person pronoun. Unsurprisingly, this privileged one-letter-word has become the prefix for two of the best-selling products of all time: the iPhone and iPad.
The positives of individualism are balanced by costs, one of which appears to be poorer human relations. Individualist societies, as opposed to collectivist ones, tend to stress independence, autonomy and personal achievements over interdependence, support and group harmony. One implication of this is that individualist societies tend to have smaller and more broadly dispersed families, providing less contact and support.
Decades of research has shown that collectivist societies tend to have lower rates of depression than their individualist neighbours. One study, from the growing field of cultural neuroscience, suggests that these cultural factors (collectivism/individualism) are more influential than genetic factors in predicting who is likely to develop a major depressive disorder.
The antidepressant properties of collectivist societies are arguably related to the greater levels of social support typically available. People in “we”, as opposed to “me”, societies are less likely to be left feeling lonely, isolated and insignificant. Additionally, with less emphasis placed on personal achievements in “we” societies, people get a greater buzz from sharing in the glory of the group, while also being spared the pressure of having their self-worth too tightly bound to personal achievements. In collectivist societies, fitting in is just as valuable as standing out – perhaps even more so.
These ideas about social support, cooperation and interdependence are increasingly being discussed as ways to prevent mental health problems and promote psychological well-being.
A recent report by the Mental Health Foundation, a leading British mental health charity, suggests that people who are more socially connected to friends, family or community are happier, healthier and live longer with fewer mental health problems than their less well-connected counterparts.
As part of their activities for Mental Health Awareness Week (May 16-22), the Mental Health Foundation launched a scheme called relationship resolutions. These are similar to new year resolutions, but they are specifically focused on improving and strengthening our social connections.
Example relationship resolution include: “to meet or call my friends and family more often” and “to not keep checking my phone when I’m out with friends or family”.
Emirati traditions suggest a relatively collectivist society, with people living in large extended families and maintaining strong tribal affiliations. This, in many cases, provides a great deal of social support and strong social connections. There is always likely to be someone to talk to, children rarely feel pressured (by parents or peers) to leave home and “stand on their own feet”, and care homes for elderly relatives are still relatively rare.
It seems to me that the preservation of cultural heritage and the prevention of mental health problems are intricately connected. We have come to place renewed value on the mental health promoting impact of good social connections.
Now we need to explore new ways to preserve and enhance our levels of meaningful social connectivity. It’s time to take the earphones out, put the smart phones down and improve the quality and frequency of our interpersonal connectivity.
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor of psychology at Zayed University and author of Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States
On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas
