Overview

⏱️Schedule:  Doors 18:30 → Talk 19:00→ Q&A → Mingle

🗣️ Language: English

You've heard the explanations. Social media. Growing isolation. The relentless pace of modern life. And yes — these things matter. But there's another driver of the mental health crisis that rarely gets named, because it's almost impossible to see: the cultural common-sense we've all already absorbed.

The web of norms, assumptions, and ideals that shape what we take for granted — what feels normal, natural, inevitable. The belief that happiness is an obligation. That when things go wrong, it's on us. That the solution is always to optimise ourselves a little more. This invisible layer doesn't just reflect how we live — it actively shapes how we feel, think, and relate to ourselves.

In this talk, Nilima introduces the concept of 'depression culture': the specific myths, norms, and ideals of our contemporary moment that are quietly fuelling anxiety, low mood, and burnout — and how we can start to build psychologically sustainable alternatives.

What we'll cover:

• Key aspects of our current cultural common-sense — e.g., the 'happiness imperative' and our tendency to blame ourselves when things go wrong
• How they get into the psyche — a brief introduction to a practice-based approach to thinking about the self and why it is useful
• Depression culture — which ways of feeling, thinking, and acting characterise the contemporary moment and contribute to us feeling more and more anxious and depressed?
• Psychologically sustainable alternatives — how can we create what I call 'sayn spaces' — ways of relating to ourselves and the world that build connection, resonance, purpose, and community?

Speaker

Nilima Chowdhury

Social Psychologist, Author & Science Communicator

Nilima Chowdhury is a social psychologist, author, and science communicator specialising in the interconnections between psyche and society. In her writings, lectures, and podcast In-Sayn, she explores how our cultural common-sense shapes how we think, feel, and act.