Katie Couric recently interviewed entrepreneur Scott Galloway, and she read him an email from a female therapist, criticizing him for his capitalistic stance and how his positions impact young men. The therapist’s point was that Galloway’s positions engendered shame because when folks failed in our market economy, they would inevitably take it as a personal failing, too.

British philosopher Alain de Botton recently made a similar observation about American society. In Europe, they never assume life will go well, he says, so they take it less personally when life takes an unfortunate turn. I’m not entirely sure I buy that, as depression rates and terms like NEET (not in education, employment, or training) exist there, too. Our capitalistic society does see folks as winners and losers, responsibility is placed on the individual, and thus, often folks take failures and setbacks personally.

I’m a mindfulness-based therapist who, like Sam Harris, does not believe in

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