Fear not. Despite all of these psychological problems that are caused by movies, games, money and just about everything else you encounter on a day-to-day basis, there are some redeeming cases where the opposite is true. Take the story of Haley Smith, a teenaged girl from Alabama, who was diagnosed with Cotards syndrome (also called walking corpse syndrome), a condition characterised by the patients delusion that they are dead. Some sufferers completely reject the existence of parts of their bodies and may think that they do not need to behave in a safe and healthy manner anymore. Miss Smith claims she stopped talking to her friends, began eating whenever she liked (under the impression that she could no longer gain weight) and fantasised about visiting graveyards. After eventually seeking help from a therapist, she states that her recovery had a lot to do with the fact that she began watching Disney movies. Apparently, the warm feelings that she felt when watching these films did not correlate in her own mind with the fact that she was dead and she began to accept the reality of the situation. Indeed she was quoted saying How could I be dead when Disney makes me feel this good? She eventually recovered from the condition and accredits much of her progress to the movies. Which brings us full circle. Avatar might give you depression but Disney movies could be the perfect cure for delusional behaviour. In that sense, it would probably be wrong to say that technology and culture have doomed us to centuries of suffering. Sure, we might be faced with a whole selection of ultra-modern problems that didnt exist in 100,000 BC but it's a scientific fact that spear-wielding cavemen didnt have Netflix or pizza, so who's the real winner?
Peter Austin initially joined WhatCulture as an occasional contributor to our Film, Gaming and Science sections, but made the mistake of telling us that he'd been making videos in his bedroom for over a decade. Since then he's been a vital member of our YouTube team and routinely sets the standard for smart-casual wear in the office.
