Man, I hate question headlines. They entice you to click a link while promising an answer that may not come. You do get ads, though.

Wish we lived in a society were titles were like:

• Is global warming a hoax? No.
• Are you eating microplastics? Probably.
• Did the president have unspoken relationships with a donkey? No proof, but you are free to speculate.

Edit: Nothing against OP. I’m just venting about this little thing.

I didn’t blame capitalism for every mental illness. The world will continue to have mentally ill people (whatever we mean by mentally ill) long after capitalism falls. I’m just saying capitalism makes it worse. Sometimes actively exploits them (see casinos, the lottery and micro transactions in games). And it’s ok for it to be criticized for that. Because it’s inherent to the system to chase capital, even if human life gets in the way. I still remember the time when Goldman Sachs asked “Is curing patients a sustainable business model?”. In capitalism, no it isn’t.

Japan is less individualistic than other countries, so it may have less of this kind of problem (regarding OPs post), but at the same time, more of some other kinds of problems, all related to capitalism as well. There is a reason why they have the word 過労死 (death by overwork) and we don’t (we have a sentence).

Which is a shame, I love Japan’s culture so much.

Ownership of the means of production isn’t stopping people from whittling or kneeding dough

Agree, but we need to actually try it to know for sure. :)

[…] but there are several levels more evidence needed for this supposition

Multiple levels indeed. I may not be the best at this, but let’s try and unroll what those levels are.

I would say it’s a combination of feeling alienated from your work, as well as the commodification of your attention that leads to the stimming/ASMR industries being a thing. Not to say they are bad, but in a better world everyone would feel like they belonged and there would be no need for artificial shows of attention. On the flip side, if you already don’t feel like you belong, constant advertisements reminding you you are valuable but only if you buy this thing may gently push you further down the spiral.

Another level may be a lack of community. As proof of this you can see how capitalism promotes individualism, either through “personal finance literacy” or through “personal meditation apps” which help you manage your anxiety on your own. The feeling of success being tied into one’s achievements instead of the health of the community, or nature. You may think this is not relevant but remember that some people are more influenced by their environment than others. They pick up the message “do it by yourself” and just run with it, because that’s what we as a capitalistic society expect of everyone.

These are problems of capitalism, imho, though I’d be happy to know what others think.

If being compassionate about our comrades means I’m a crackpot, then so be it. I’m with OP on this one.