Because life as a hunter gatherer just a few days away from starvation at any point was less stressful? Generations upon generations of farming was less repetitive?

I'm assuming you misread me, because I'm saying something to the effect of "reducing work hours and providing flexibility might be helpful for people, but the present social equilibria prevent that from happening, and mental health provides an excuse to avoid changing aspects of the economic system that have issues", and not some primitivist whatever.

Also, stress alone isn't the issue here at all.

> Generations upon generations of farming was less repetitive?

It was. Medieval serfs worked less than us.

http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_w...

I don't think it's repetitive work or expectations surrounding labour that cause psychic distress, but worker alienation, which is one of my main gripe with capitalism.

I might be wrong here, but I feel that we can endure a repetitive work schedule and high expectations if we feel connected to the work and the fruit of our labour.

Feeling connected to work and the fruit of our labor is largely a matter of attitude. I've mopped floors for minimum wage and still took satisfaction in doing it well.

There is a matter of attitude and a matter of reality. Deluding yourself into feeling connected into meaningless work that will benefit no one but a few is just that, delusion.

Besides, worker alienation and alienation in general is way more than just taking satisfaction in doing things well, it's actually feeling connected to what you are doing and it's purpose, and feeling connected to the social relationships that enable your life instead of seeing them as impersonal exchanges of commodity on the market.

Strikes me that a lot of this is what people used to get from religion. I'm not religious myself, so definitely not trying to push it, but it does seem that there's a correlation between the rise in incidence of depression, feelings of disconnectedness, and lack of a sense if purpose that goes along with the decline in participation in organized religion.