أمراض السعادة

The French sociologist Hugues Lagrange proposes in his book “The Diseases of Happiness” (Page Seven, translated by: Ali Youssef Asaad, 2025) In-depth questions that combine philosophy and sociology to analyze the changes that have occurred in the concept of disease in modern societies. The book starts from the basic observation that humanity has moved, during the twentieth century, from the dominance of epidemics and mass diseases to the spread of individual diseases, both physical and psychological, linked to lifestyles and social conditions. This transformation was accompanied by an increase in life expectancy and a radical change in the causes of death, as psychological and behavioral disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and addiction, became an essential part of the human experience. Lagrange (1951) links this phenomenon to what he calls “freedom vertigo,” that is, the significant expansion of the margin of individual freedom and the accompanying swelling of the sense of personal responsibility. With the decline of traditional social restrictions, and the atrophy of the role of institutions that were framing behavior, individuals found themselves facing an open horizon of options, but laden with anxiety and pressure. He points out that this tension is more clearly evident in societies that value individual independence, compared to other societies. In a parallel context, the book highlights the impact of increasing competition in the fields of education and work, where a culture of entitlement prevails as the sole criterion for success. This culture, despite its apparently fair nature, places individuals under constant pressure, as it makes them entirely responsible for their destinies, whether in success or failure. With the spread of unemployment and the decline in professional stability, the feeling of guilt and shame increases among individuals, which contributes to enhancing cases of anxiety and depression.