In this video, Jürgen Hoyer explains how ikigai can play a vital role in preventing depression by encouraging self-exploration and helping individuals discover their life’s purpose.
Ikigai as a valuable approach to viewing life
Nick: I guess, going back to what I was really interested in was it's obviously established that behavioral activation has continuously been demonstrated in psychotherapy to treat depression effectively across different cultures.
So my question is, probably to you, Jürgen, are you confident that the same can be said for ikigai? Could it be treated as a psychotherapy to treat depression in various cultures.
Jürgen: Actually, that's something that Nathania and I are touching now, because the next step for us seems to be, how can we promote prevention of depression, and ikigai is obviously nothing that has been developed as a treatment.
In my view, it's helpful and healthy strategy to look on life and my actions in life, it's just raising the right question, as I say. I would say it's not a thing that you can grasp, it's more a process of asking questions and checking out if you're on the right track in finding your ikigai of today, or of the year, or of your life.
And so that's something that people should have the privilege to adhere to. And I'm very optimistic that this could work in prevention. So my vision would be to teach the ikigai approach in German schools as a form of prevention against too much negative thinking, against too much black and white thinking, against too much doubt. And a form of teaching individuality, a form of like, confidently study with yourself.
And that's something that adolescents need a lot. That's my vision, what I’m optimistic about. I wouldn't say that it would add too much to behavioral activation, except in those cases, which we mentioned in the article. But as a form of health prevention for everybody, I see it really, really beneficial and very optimistic about it, and I'm really keen on learning more about it. I'm looking forward to my first trip to Japan. I want to see Japan in my life.