On laptop screens, televisions and social media feeds across the nation, images and words fueled by a fractured political landscape spout anger, frustration and resentment. Clashing ideologies burst forth in public demonstrations, family gatherings and digital echo chambers.
Red-hot rhetoric and finger-pointing memes are open expressions of emotions generated by engaging in politics. But there is another set of emotions far less incendiary but just as damaging to democracy. These feelings can push people to the sidelines and drive them to silence.
Disappointment. Grief. Loss.
The reasons for this phenomenon, along with its effects on mental health, are the subject of “The Sad Citizen: How Politics is Depressing and Why It Matters,” a new book by UC Merced political science professor Christopher Ojeda.
In the book, published in June by The University of Chicago Press, Ojeda combines years of studying the intersection of politics and mental health with fresh data culled from surveys, studies and political polls, along with his own experiments and interviews.
(Ojeda recently talked about “The Sad Citizen” on “Talking Policy,” a podcast by the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.)
Depression can compel people to withdraw from the democratic process, Ojeda said, and can sap the collective power of like-minded groups. Populations marginalized by race, gender or income are even more likely to be sidelined as political depression piles atop other societal pressures, he said.
This disengagement can lead to people being increasingly misrepresented by governments, which fosters more depression. It’s a vicious cycle, Ojeda said.
In the book, Ojeda takes a broad view of depression, seeing it as a family of emotions such as disappointment, sadness, despair and melancholy. Whether it is mild disillusionment or major depressive disorder, it affects people’s lives and their ability to take part in activities, including politics, he said.
Sometimes politicians stoke depression intentionally, hoping it can lead to a political score. Ojeda writes about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging his fellow Republicans to emphasize President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, when control of the U.S. Senate was up for grabs (the GOP controlled the House).
McConnell believed that drawing attention to Republican policy priorities risked turning Democrats’ disappointment in Biden “into anxiety over a Republican Congress, a feeling that would propel them to vote,” Ojeda wrote.
As it turned out, Republicans underperformed in those midterms and Democrats held the Senate. Disappointment switched sides.
The results of last year’s presidential election stoked the emotions addressed in “The Sad Citizen.” Donald Trump’s return to the White House was cheered by his supporters, Ojeda said, but those who had hoped the U.S. was steering away from the Trump era were emotionally crushed.
In the months since the election, clashes of triumph and frustration have manifested in fiery social media posts, divisive policies and protesters marching in the streets. In short: action. But headlines also speak of the losing side being adrift, of its political leaders and voters unsure what to do next.
“Depression leads us to withdraw,” Ojeda said in an interview. “If you think something is lost forever, it doesn’t make sense to keep pouring energy into getting it back.”
In the book, Ojeda observes that democracy and depression are difficult, if not impossible, to separate. In elections, one side gets the brass ring and the other goes home. It’s part of the deal. Echo chambers breed misinformation and embrace polarized opinions but are a haven for people with similar ideologies.
“While I don’t have all the answers, I try to point us toward a ‘politics without disruption,’” he writes in “The Sad Citizen.” He said this means working to reduce directed outrage and negativity, thereby expanding space for healthier engagement. Campaigns should emphasize what they stand for and what they want to achieve, Ojeda said.
As for a prescription against depression caused by politics, Ojeda said he supports giving yourself a break from media apps or your finely curated social media feed (it’s called doom-scrolling for a reason). Turn off related phone notifications. Create some distance.
This doesn’t mean disengaging from democracy for all time, Ojeda said. Rather, the goal is to create time to determine what level of engagement is healthy and productive for you.
“It’s OK to step back and take care of your own well-being,” Ojeda said. “You need to do this in order to be a responsible, democratic citizen.”
