Thaindian News

London, April 13 (IANS) More and more people in Britain feel miserable and suffer from depression because they are “selfish, unfit, and antisocial”, says a new study.

A campaign to promote mental wellbeing - titled Action for Happiness - is calling on people to address 10 deficiencies in their lives to counter their misery, according to the Telegraph.

Experts have said that unless the country undergoes a radical cultural change, it will experience increased suicide and depression cases.

Action for Happiness, led by Lord Layard, a professor at the London School of Economics, warns that Britons do not give enough to others, have lost the art of connecting with those around them and no longer possess a sense of belonging in society.

Britons’ happiness was also being hampered by a lack of exercise, direction, resilience and ambition, the study said.

Anthony Seldon, headmaster of Wellington College, who is part of the campaign, said it was vital that better values were instilled in children at a young age to prevent unhappiness later in life.

“For everything we have gained in material wealth and sophistication in recent years, we have lost in happiness and the overall richness of the fabric of society. If we don’t act now, in the future we are likely to see increased levels of adolescent suicide and mental illness, and a culture in which taking anti-depressant drugs is the norm,” Seldon said.

The movement has already gathered over 4,500 members across 68 countries and has won the support of leading figures, including the Dalai Lama.