Our problem is that we are pretty good at dealing with our state-of-the-world anxieties, but bad at dealing with their root causes. Perhaps the growth of positive psychology has unintentionally exacerbated this by making us all more aware of what we can do to worry less, rather than what we can do to make the source of our worries go away. It is, after all, easier to conquer our fears than to vanquish the things we are afraid of.
Blog at Guardian Comment is Free (26 January)