A pop-psych hot take
Metaphysical desire and narrative construction are key factors in the current mental health epidemic.
A few years ago, I read a blogpost by Julian Lehr on how the neobanks are playing on the status symbol that is a bank. I had not thought about them in that way so it was memorable (most of Julian’s writing is), this was also around the time I read The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson.
I had thought that a bank’s purpose was to hold money. The piece showed me that I was wrong, and when you look at other, more traditional banks like Coutts, the signalling rationale makes a lot of sense. The problem with all of this signalling is that we become obsessive about things that aren’t real. Another person’s perception of me is difficult to gauge, so taking action on the basis that someone’s perception of us will be improved seems a bad strategy.
The thing that matters most is the narratives that we live by, and whether they help us take actions that benefit us or those around us. This is particularly important given the mental health crisis that is gripping younger people in the West. The use of things to signal who we are and what we stand for is not always good for us, though it can lead to wonderful creations like the Taj Mahal. Rene Girard talks about metaphysical vs. physical desire which is a great framing. The lecture series by Johnathan and David Perell delves into the theory but thinking about its broader implications is interesting. This is my pop-psych view of why narrative building and metaphysical desire are explanatory factors in the mental health issues that individuals face.
A friend told me I should write more, so this is the start of that.
Until next time :)