Psychiatrist: modern people forget they are primarily a body, not just a mind

TVNET+ has republished an interview from its archive titled "Those Who Cry Survive! A Conversation with Psychiatrist Kristīna Buta." The piece was first published in May this year and is now being offered to readers again.

In the interview, psychiatrist Kristīna Buta addresses how far modern society has drifted toward mental, intellectual and virtual existence, paying less attention to physical reality. According to her, people today see themselves as highly developed, almost "spiritualized" beings who spend much of their lives in a digital or imagined space, far removed from the everyday physical world.

However, Buta points to a simple but striking example that brings people back to their biological nature: if someone were prevented from meeting basic physiological needs for even a couple of days, it would quickly become clear that a human being is, above all, a physical body — not merely a mental construct. This example serves as a reminder that, however proud society is of its intellectual and technological progress, the biological side still largely shapes daily life and well-being.

The article's title, "Those Who Cry Survive!", suggests the conversation also touches on the open expression of emotion — namely, that the ability to cry and not suppress one's feelings may be linked to better psychological resilience compared with people who tend to hide or ignore their emotions.

The interview is framed as a broader psychological and philosophical reflection rather than a report on a specific event, and it is available to TVNET+ subscribers.