Depression VS Laziness – what’s the difference?

Depression and laziness have a lot in common. Both can result in a lack of productivity and a general inability to function on life’s challenges.

A person who is feeling down after a hard day at work may come home wanting nothing more than to lay in their bed all day.

But does feeling lethargic make you lazy? Or is it more than that?

Here are the differences you should know between laziness and depression.

Disclaimer: This is a disclaimer that this article is for informative purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional if you are struggling.

1) Length of time

Do you feel an extreme sense of sadness and lethargy throughout the day? Or does it only happen ever so often?

Depression is labeled as a persistent feeling of being sad, hopeless, and empty over a long period. When you’re depressed, it feels like nothing can ever make you feel happy, no matter what you try. You don’t find it within yourself the ability to do anything – whether it’s good for you or not.

When you’re feeling lazy, it’s a little bit different. Laziness isn’t a psychological disorder unlike depression, it’s a momentary state. Feeling lethargy from time to time is common in everyone – that’s just the body recovering from stress or lack of sleep. But usually, after a good night’s rest or a moment of relaxation, your body will feel refreshed again and can function on a day-to-day routine.

2) Sense of control

Do you feel like a new reward can cause a shift in your motivation to accomplish a task?

For people with depression, working towards a goal or something that brings you happiness is too overbearing. They struggle to find the energy within themselves to take action, and they often think they deserve nothing better than their current life situation. They feel as if everything’s hopeless – and that there’s no point in doing things as they feel they have no control over their actions.

For lazy people, they usually lack motivation to do the things that’s expected of them. The reasons for this are plenty – perhaps they don’t like their boss, aren’t fulfilled at work, or have to many things to do.

Once a lazy person is placed in the right environment, they’ll feel much more motivated to be productive. For people with depression, their mental faculties make them feel largely indifferent towards most things, making it harder for them to get out of the rut. Usually, professional intervention is necessary.

3) Chemical imbalance

The brains of people with depression is noticeably more different than lazy people, based on fMRI scans. In a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, the hippocampus of participants who were said to have a history of depression reported 9% to 13% smaller size compared to those who aren’t depressed. This means less serotonin receptors, or the chemical that regulates mood. This can also be linked with stress- a major factor of depression – which can slow down the production of new neurons in the hippocampus.

People who feel lazy, however, don’t have these major brain alterations as much as depressed people. While there could be overlaps in symptoms, depression is a serious psychological disorder where parts of the brain like the amygdala, thalamus, and hippocampus are wired differently and contribute to one’s depressive mind state.

4) Excessive worry

Do you catch yourself having self-defeating thoughts and constant ruminations?

Rumination is a common symptom of depression, and it’s the persistent focus on a person’s negative feelings. Ruminating can also force people into isolating themselves, which can worsen one’s depressive mood. People who ruminate tend to be perfectionists and overvalue their relationships with others, even if it’s not an unhealthy one.

People who feel lazy usually aren’t worried about things that happen in the past as much. They may be worried about the consequences of their future through their lack of action, but they don’t always get caught up by ruminations or critical thoughts outside of their perceived lack of actions.

5) Depression affects body health

Depression is known to not just affect your state of mind, but also various parts of your physical health and well being. For instance, depressed people are more likely to have trouble concentrating and incur memory loss due to rewiring in their brains, especially for older adults. Insomnia, constrained blood vessels, fatigue, and a weakened immune system are also some of the more common symptoms of depression, which can affect your overall health.

People who feel lazy are less likely to be affected by any aspects of their physical health, unlike people with depression. They may sometimes feel fatigue due to not sleeping enough or making poor diet choices, but laziness doesn’t have a major impact on the body unlike depression.

Closing Thoughts

We hope you’ve learned the difference between depression and laziness – how they’re both different, yet similar in some ways.

That’s all for now Psych2Goers!

References

Cirino, E. April 18, 2019. 10 Tips to Help You Stop Ruminating. Healthline. Retrieved at https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-ruminating

NA. June 24, 2019. What Causes depression? Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved at https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression

Pietrangelo, A. Oct 22, 2019. The Effects of Depression in Your Body. Healthline. Retrieved at https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/effects-on-body

Upshaw, W. June 7, 2021. What’s the Difference Between Being Lazy or Depressed? Retrieved at https://neurospatms.com/whats-the-difference-between-being-lazy-or-depressed/

Bruce, D. March 8, 2021. Causes of Depression. WebMD. Retrieved at https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/causes-depression