Evolutionary Psychiatry Can Explain Human Emotions - Dr Randy Nesse - #542

About this episode

Randy Nesse is a physician, author and founder of the field of evolutionary medicine and evolutionary psychiatry. Evolution created an odd creature in humans. We're able to fly to the moon and cure diseases. But we also get anxious in the supermarket or depressed if we have a bad week. Why would mother nature make us so fragile? If natural selection is powerful why are mental disorders so common? Expect to learn why the capacity for low mood exists at all, how low mood and depression could be evolutionarily advantageous, what happens if someone has too little fear or anxiety, why bad feelings are useless but normal, how eating disorders could be an adaptive response to the local environment and much more... Sponsors: Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Our Sponsor LetsGetChecked - get 25% discount on your at-home testosterone test at https://trylgc.com/wisdom (use code: WISDOM25) Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:24) Are Humans Designed for Happiness? (05:11) How Elite Performers Can Find Balance (11:53) Do We Pathologise Natural Responses? (16:58) Anxiety Attacks in an Evolutionary Context (23:15) Dr Nesse’s Smoke Detector Principle (31:57) The Anxiety of Constant Surveillance (38:39) Causes of Low Mood & Depression (42:49) Why We Experience Social Anxiety (50:26) Ancestral Causes of ADHD (1:01:39) The Danger of Low Anxiety (1:07:51) Did Evolution Cause Eating Disorders? (1:12:31) Genetic Existence of Schizophrenia & Bipolar (1:17:25) Is Modernisation to Blame for Mental Illness? Extra Stuff: Check out Randy's Websites - nesse.us and goodreasons.info and evolutionarymedicine.org Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom - Episodes You Might Enjoy: This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠ Get in touch. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices