Can Evolution Explain Human Emotions? - Dr Randy Nesse

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) 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 #emotions #evolutionarypsychiatry #depression - 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? - Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Randy NesseguestChris Williamsonhost

Oct 22, 20221h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 22, 2022
Duration: 1h 24m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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) 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 #emotions #evolutionarypsychiatry #depression - 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? - Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Randy Nesse
guest
Chris Williamson
host
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Randy Nesse and Chris Williamson, Can Evolution Explain Human Emotions? - Dr Randy Nesse explores evolutionary psychiatry: why bad feelings exist and often misfire Chris Williamson and psychiatrist Dr. Randy Nesse explore how evolutionary theory explains human emotions, mood disorders, and mental illnesses. Nesse argues that emotions like anxiety, low mood, and panic are adaptive tools shaped to maximize gene transmission, not happiness, and that many modern problems arise when these systems misfire or meet mismatched environments. They discuss the smoke-detector principle for anxiety, the usefulness of low mood for disengaging from futile goals, and how social selection pressures shaped our moral emotions and social anxiety. The conversation closes on how an evolutionary framework can reduce shame, guide more nuanced treatment, and inspire better research into conditions like ADHD, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.

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