--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Katz had read extensively in popular…" description: "\"“Katz had read extensively in popular sociobiology, and his understanding of the depressive personality type and its seemingly perverse persistence in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/jonathan-franzen-801_bad-news_katz-had-read-extensively-in-popular-soc_1987828.jpg" --- # Katz had read extensively in popular sociobiology, and his… ![“Katz had read extensively in popular sociobiology, and his understanding of the depressive personality type and its seemingly perverse persistence in the human gene pool was that depression was successful adaptation to ceaseless pain and hardship. Pessimism, feelings of worthlessness and lack of…” quote by Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/jonathan-franzen-801_bad-news_katz-had-read-extensively-in-popular-soc_1987828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/jonathan-franzen-801_bad-news_katz-had-read-extensively-in-popular-soc_1987828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/jonathan-franzen-801_bad-news_katz-had-read-extensively-in-popular-soc_1987828.jpg) > ““Katz had read extensively in popular sociobiology, and his understanding of the depressive personality type and its seemingly perverse persistence in the human gene pool was that depression was successful adaptation to ceaseless pain and hardship. Pessimism, feelings of worthlessness and lack of entitlement, inability to derive satisfaction from pleasure, a tormenting awareness of the world's general crappiness: for Katz Jewish paternal forebears, who'd been driven from shtetl to shtetl by implacable anti-Semites, as for the old Angles and Saxons on his mother's side, who'd labored to grow rye and barley in the poor soils and short summers of northern Europe, feeling bad all the time and expecting the worse had been natural ways of equilibriating themselves with the lousiness of their circumstances. Few things gratified depressives, after all, more than really bad news. This obviously wasn't an optimal way to live, but it had its evolutionary advantages.”” [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Depression may have evolved as a response to chronic hardship, offering a way to cope with relentless adversity, though it is not an optimal way to live. **In simple terms:** Depression can be an evolutionary coping mechanism. Key Takeaway Recognize the adaptive roots but seek healthier coping. Themes evolutionary psychology mental health coping mechanisms Mood somber analytical Type philosophical clinical When to use this quote - therapy - stress management - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology evolutionary theory sociobiology Questions to Reflect On - What healthier strategies can replace maladaptive coping? - How does understanding evolutionary origins affect stigma? A Different Perspective Viewing depression as adaptive may discourage seeking treatment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depressives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressives/) [Feeling bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-bad/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Short summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-summer/) ## Related quotes > [ “depression was a successful adaptation to ceaseless pain and hardship \[...\] feeling bad all the time and expecting the worst had been natural ways… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/depression-was-a-successful-adaptation-to-ceaseless-pain-and-hardship/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [I haven't really spoken openly about my experiences with depression, especially, not ever having the chance to be in any way clinically diagnosed but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-haven-t-really-spoken-openly-about-my-experiences-with-depression/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [“Depressives cannot surrender childhood--not even the pains of childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow-herzog/depressives-cannot-surrender-childhood-not-even-the-pains-of-childhood/) Saul Bellow Herzog > [At the best of times, spring hurts depressives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/at-the-best-of-times-spring-hurts-depressives/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Depression is a surfeit of empathy - a killing empathy - that makes depressives great friends to everyone but themselves. 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