As humans we are pre-disposed to bonding in groups. We all know the joy in belonging, whether that’s to a family group, a sports team, or some kind of club or society. We rapidly develop a sense of loyalty to groups to which we feel we belong, this is known as ‘in-group loyalty’. At its most intense in-group loyalty takes the form of ‘identity fusion’ which is when a person feels a visceral sense of belonging to a group, a sensation so strong that the person primarily identifies themselves as a member of the group rather than an individual (1).
The Biological Cost of 24/7 Living
Depression or Burnout?
Depression, anxiety and other mental health problems are incredibly common. It’s estimated that around 1 in 6 people suffer from problems such as these in any given week in the UK(1). Nearly a million people each year are treated by NHS psychological services with an ambition to treat 1.5 million by the year 2020/21. Rates of antidepressant prescriptions are also rising with about 82 people out of every 1000 in the UK now taking antidepressant medication (2).