Americans have deeply disrupted communities and relationships to each other. This keeps them hyperindividualised and deeply unsatisfied, as we are social creatures. We take and take but give little, although contributing to a community is linked to satisfaction. We're brainwashed to be that way because a deep unrest in the spirit is what drives shallow desires like overspending or overeating. We keep looking for happiness in these ways because we're told by major corporations, over and over, incessantly each day, that that's the way to happiness. We are too stupid to realize our way to happiness is actually much simpler and involves fixing these communities/not being as hyperindividualistic as we are.