Is Capitalism Destroying Our Mental Health?

All over the world, people are struggling. Rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and burnout increase. While these may seem like unrelated phenomena, recent papers take a position that draws from similar sources. That is, capitalism.

How can capitalism cause so many psychological illnesses today? Karim Bettache from the Chinese University of Hong Kong is of the opinion that capitalism as a systemic structure does not only manage our society. It’s shaping our psychology—how we feel, what we believe, and how we behave.

In particular, he zeroed in on the key tenets of capitalism, and made the case for how they lead to mental health problems. His three “capitalist syndromes” are summarized below.

1. Get Primacy Syndrome. This disease stems from capitalism’s profit motive, that is, the drive for continued capital accumulation and economic growth. Dr. Bettache is of the opinion that it controls how we think about ourselves and the world. For example, education is framed as investment in human capital, career success is measured in terms of income and net worth, and people internalize the societal message that they are a “brand” that must continue to improve.

   How does the capitalist mindset permeate our souls? Dr. Bettache maintains that the very language of investment, return, and optimization has become a prism through which we see the world. We talk about investment in a relationship, that is return on investment in our education, and build our personality brand.

2. Zero-Sum Rivalry Syndrome. This suffering is borne out of market competition—the need to beat rivals for supremacy in the marketplace. Dr. Bettache contends that the competitive mindset of capitalism makes us more adversarial with each other, and damages our relationships as a result.

   To support his argument, he cites research showing that competitive environments increase negative feelings, decrease trust, and harm social bonds when compared to cooperative environments. People in more market-oriented communities are also more vulnerable zero-sum thinking, seeing others gains as taking something from them. Such thinking eliminates empathy and mutual support, which are essential to healthy relationships.

3. Ownership syndrome. This situation stems from the core principle of capitalism that private ownership is the foundation of the economic system and personal freedom. The pursuit of possessions ultimately leads to materialism, where people prioritize wealth and possessions. Research on the negative mental health effects of materialism is well established: It is linked to lower self-esteem, greater anxiety and depression, and an increase in substance abuse.

   The pressure to buy and have more is all around us. Dr. Bettache points to the car industry, as an example, which sells identity as much as it does a mode of transportation. A luxury car is a signal of status and success. High fashion also communicates exclusively and belongs to a certain social tribe. We live in an environment saturated with the message that possessions and presentation are the way to self-esteem.

Dr Bettache concluded his article by suggesting ways to reduce the effects of capitalism on mental health. For example, in education, learning has become secondary to ranking, test scores, etc. But research shows that cooperative learning doesn’t compromise academic achievement — and it promotes social bonding.

Similarly, in the workplace, employee ownership and employee cooperatives can motivate employees more than the pressure of individual competition and performance.

And in the practice of psychology, Dr. Bettache proposes something radical. Perhaps clinicians should help their clients distinguish between what is a personal problem and what requires a collective response. It may also be that the distress people feel is a balanced response to an economic system that undermines mental health.