Why are you here? What are you getting back from working all night and going to class all day? The answer for most is money. Polls show that most college students today are saying the reason they attend universities is to become financially stable and successful. Statistically, though, one-third of college students have experienced at least one prolonged period of depression. Can a correlation be drawn between the increased prioritization of the dollar and a lack of happiness? According to an annual survey done with freshmen at UCLA, 75 percent of students entering universities today say that being financially successful is the most important aspect of life. This compares to a survey in 1980 in which 62.5 percent said financial stability was most important to them and a survey in 1966 where only 42 percent claimed they were working for the dollar. This shift from ideals to materials is a disturbing trend due to the fact that it generally leads to what can be called a social networking breakdown. Due to the focus of college students on obtaining money and, consequentially, objects, Americans are becoming increasingly isolated in their adulthood. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average adult consumer spending on media in 2007 is forecasted to be $936.75. So, for almost $1,000 per person, we will all be able to distract ourselves for approximately 127 days of the year by being absorbed into some form of media, from television to music. However, spending half a year absorbed in media is taking its toll on the American adult mind. According to the National Alliance On Mental Illness, "Fifty percent of students rate their mental health as below average or poor." The problem is that due to our obsession with constantly obtaining things, we are on the road to becoming increasingly isolated in our adulthood, and this isolation does wear on our bodies and minds. Consider this: What if because of this almost collective depression, most college students today consume enormous amounts of alcohol and increasingly consume prescription drugs as stimulants? According to a study by Duke University, a significant number of college students drink until they experience memory "blackouts." Meanwhile, a 2005 study at the University of Michigan states 7 percent of college students have used prescription drugs as stimulants at least once in their lifetimes. Honestly, could all of this be a side effect of our increasing disassociation from each other? A biological explanation comes in a discovery made in the 1980s by three scientists at Parma University in Italy of what are called "mirror neurons." These neurons reside in the human brain and assist humans with the understanding of intention and empathy. So, whenever one person sees another who is happy or sad, they tend to become happy or sad themselves, especially with close friends. Social interaction with close friends engages these neurons in such a way that as long as your friends are happy, so are you. Also, increased social interaction helps boost immunity and helps curb mental illness. As students, we need to look at this and step away from the computers, the iPods and the televisions in order to take back our happiness. We need to stop being afraid of each other and interact. Living in an environment where one out of every two college students is depressed while chasing the dollar is not right. Obviously, our priorities are wrong. We need each other. So let's stop this rat race; let's step out of the maze of stuff we've built, and let's say hello. Wasim Salman ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in international relations.