--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness in a tablet. This is our world…" description: "\"“Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Paxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions more are spent purchasing the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/anonymous-1_common-cold_happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world_551946.jpg" --- # Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Paxil… ![“Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Paxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions more are spent purchasing them. You don’t even need a specific trauma; just “general depression” or “anxiety,” as if sadness were as treatable as the common cold. I knew…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/anonymous-1_common-cold_happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world_551946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/anonymous-1_common-cold_happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world_551946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/anonymous-1_common-cold_happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world_551946.jpg) > ““Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Paxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions more are spent purchasing them. You don’t even need a specific trauma; just “general depression” or “anxiety,” as if sadness were as treatable as the common cold. I knew depression was real, and in many cases required medical attention. I also knew we overused the word. Much of what we called “depression” was really dissatisfaction, a result of setting a bar impossibly high or expecting treasures that we weren’t willing to work for. I knew people whose unbearable source of misery was their weight, their baldness, their lack of advancement in a workplace, or their inability to find the perfect mate, even if they themselves did not behave like one. To these people, unhappiness was a condition, an intolerable state of affairs. If pills could help, pills were taken. But pills were not going to change the fundamental problem in the construction. Wanting what you can’t have. Looking for self-worth in the mirror. Layering work on top of work and still wondering why you weren’t satisfied—before working some more. I knew. I had done all that. There was a stretch where I could not have worked more hours in the day without eliminating sleep altogether. I piled on accomplishments. I made money. I earned accolades. And the longer I went at it, the emptier I began to feel, like pumping air faster and faster into a torn tire.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how society over‑medicalizes unhappiness, treating normal dissatisfaction as clinical depression, and suggests that external achievements cannot fill internal emptiness. **In simple terms:** We label normal discontent as illness and try to fix it with pills, but true fulfillment requires deeper change. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond material success. Themes mental health consumerism self‑worth achievement societal pressure Mood reflective critical somber Type philosophical observational cautionary When to use this quote - career burnout - relationship dissatisfaction - body image issues - overwork - search for meaning Key Concepts pharmacology existentialism psychology culture critique Questions to Reflect On - What deeper needs are being ignored by quick fixes? - How can we redefine success to include well‑being? A Different Perspective Medication may mask symptoms but does not address underlying values or expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-cold/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) ## Related quotes > [Much of what we called "depression" was really dissatisfaction, a result of setting a bar impossibly high or expecting treasures we weren't willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/much-of-what-we-called-depression-was-really-dissatisfaction-a-result/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Daxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions are spent purchasing them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world-prozac-daxil-xanax-billions/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Yes. That's right. I did see her. I did see her before it happened. I did know about her existence and presence. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james/yes-that-s-right-i-did-see-her-i-did-see-her-before-it-happened-i-did/) [Andrew James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james/) > [My post break-up depression has really helped reverse my holiday weight gain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-post-break-up-depression-has-really-helped-reverse-my-holiday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Declines in specific industries can never ignite a general depression. Shifts in data will cause increases in activity in one field, declines in another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/declines-in-specific-industries-can-never-ignite-a-general-depression/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [I actually found it very moving how destructive depression is. I was really saddened by this burden people have to handle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-corbett/i-actually-found-it-very-moving-how-destructive-depression-is-i-was/) [Ronnie Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-corbett/) > [With depression, you can go in and out of it and not really know whether it's still there or not. Sometimes I'd find myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keisha-buchanan/with-depression-you-can-go-in-and-out-of-it-and-not-really-know/) Keisha Buchanan > [“Until you've experienced depression, or a form of depression, you can't ever really know how strongly it controls you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-perez/until-you-ve-experienced-depression-or-a-form-of-depression-you-can-t/) [Kathryn Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-perez/) > [Depression is something that seems really obscure when you see it in a theater, but when you talk to people who come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-tveit/depression-is-something-that-seems-really-obscure-when-you-see-it-in/) [Aaron Tveit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-tveit/) > [We think, 'I'm Ricky Hatton or I'm Tyson Fury, I can take on the world.' You can take on the world in the ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/we-think-i-m-ricky-hatton-or-i-m-tyson-fury-i-can-take-on-the-world/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [I felt like I was the only person on the planet with this 'thing called depression', and I remember being frightened. I was knocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/i-felt-like-i-was-the-only-person-on-the-planet-with-this-thing/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [I think that there's a clinical mental illness called depression, but I believe that post-industrial America has been narcotized by progress. There's a cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-think-that-there-s-a-clinical-mental-illness-called-depression-but/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Twitter has actually been here for hundreds of years; back that time, it was called depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/twitter-has-actually-been-here-for-hundreds-of-years-back-that-time/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“When you try hard to get something, but you gain nothing, this is what's called depression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-hanouf-halawi/when-you-try-hard-to-get-something-but-you-gain-nothing-this-is-what/) Al-Hanouf Halawi > [“I will tell you what I have learned myself. For me, a long five- or six-mile walk helps. And one must go alone and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/i-will-tell-you-what-i-have-learned-myself-for-me-a-long-five-or-six/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Common cold quotes > [“When James Larrick and his colleagues studied the still relatively isolated Waorani Indians of Ecuador, they found no evidence of hypertension, heart disease, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/when-james-larrick-and-his-colleagues-studied-the-still-relatively/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) > [Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Daxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions are spent purchasing them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world-prozac-daxil-xanax-billions/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [This is an industry that doesn't have the common cold... It has cholera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-azenberg/this-is-an-industry-that-doesn-t-have-the-common-cold-it-has-cholera/) Emanuel Azenberg > [The Four Horsemen whose Ride presages the end of the world are known to be Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence. But even less significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-four-horsemen-whose-ride-presages-the-end-of-the-world-are-known/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Microthreats are hardly confined to the wilderness. From the common cold to the Ebola virus, various nasties could be waiting to pounce on you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/microthreats-are-hardly-confined-to-the-wilderness-from-the-common/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I wouldn't lie to you would I > Did you know that shoving a table spoon of cinnamon up your ass can cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-josh/i-wouldn-t-lie-to-you-would-i-did-you-know-that-shoving-a-table-spoon/) Jean Josh > [“Baclli swarm within my portals Such as ne'r conceived by mortals, But, bred by scientists, Wise and hoary in some Olympian laboratory. Bacteria as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/baclli-swarm-within-my-portals-such-as-ne-r-conceived-by-mortals-but/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Successful salesman: someone who has found a cure for the common cold shoulder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/successful-salesman-someone-who-has-found-a-cure-for-the-common-cold/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [The sheer quantity of brain power that hurled itself voluntarily and quixotically into the search for new baseball knowledge was either exhilarating or depressing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-sheer-quantity-of-brain-power-that-hurled-itself-voluntarily-and/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Getting the care for a common cold, migraine, or high blood pressure can and should be easy, whether one has an insurance card or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-k-davis/getting-the-care-for-a-common-cold-migraine-or-high-blood-pressure/) [Danny K. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-k-davis/) > [Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/pressure-and-stress-is-the-common-cold-of-the-psyche/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [Depression has been called the world's number one public health problem. In fact, depression is so widespread it is considered the common cold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/depression-has-been-called-the-world-s-number-one-public-health/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“We prescribe happiness in a pill as if sadness were as treatable as the common cold. Pills are not going to change the fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/we-prescribe-happiness-in-a-pill-as-if-sadness-were-as-treatable-as/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Demons live inside all of us, but it is up to you whether you will expel them. Keep in mind that they are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-b/demons-live-inside-all-of-us-but-it-is-up-to-you-whether-you-will/) [Becca B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-b/) > [“The doctors pushing the frontiers of human medicine had forgotten to account for the common cold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/the-doctors-pushing-the-frontiers-of-human-medicine-had-forgotten-to/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) [Browse all 52 Common cold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-cold/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Paxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions more are spent purchasing them. You don’t even need a specific trauma; just “general depression” or “anxiety,” as if sadness were as treatable as the common cold. 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