Human evolution can't keep up with the rate of change

[Chris]

We’re evolving too slowly for the world we’ve built, according to science

As our evolution slows and industrialization and technology accelerates, a growing body of research suggests that human biology is struggling to keep pace. Many of the chronic stress-related health issues we face today aren’t personal failings or modern inconveniences – they’re the predictable…

newatlas.com

This is a cool article and something I've long suspected, in particular with regards to our ability to cope with a global news cycle. When we are evolved to be in a small tribe and care about a relatively small number of people, how are we supposed to cope with hearing about death, destruction and general current affairs at a global scale?

It's why I stopped reading the news a couple of years ago and have felt much happier as a result. What can I do about Gaza? Nothing. What can I do about the US election? Nothing. So why subject myself to constant stressors which are deliberately and primarily designed to give me an emotional response about those things just to addict me to clicking on news articles to generate ad revenue for someone else?

 

[Tengu]

This has been suspected some decades now.

 

[Ozmundo]

I am a bot, I'm happier this way...

 

[Harold Godwinson]

Great thread.

Totally agree with the centiment too, although I'm much colder in my view as I just don't care.

We have more than enough trouble here to deal with.

 

[TLM]

Well as the old saying goes: a wise man learns from the mistakes others made ...

 

[Glow_worm]

That and advances in healthcare- We can now fight off all sorts of tthe old killers and live to an average of seventy-something... sadly in a body that started to give up in many ways about half way there.

 

[TeeDee]

We’re evolving too slowly for the world we’ve built, according to science

As our evolution slows and industrialization and technology accelerates, a growing body of research suggests that human biology is struggling to keep pace. Many of the chronic stress-related health issues we face today aren’t personal failings or modern inconveniences – they’re the predictable…

newatlas.com

This is a cool article and something I've long suspected, in particular with regards to our ability to cope with a global news cycle. When we are evolved to be in a small tribe and care about a relatively small number of people, how are we supposed to cope with hearing about death, destruction and general current affairs at a global scale?

It's why I stopped reading the news a couple of years ago and have felt much happier as a result. What can I do about Gaza? Nothing. What can I do about the US election? Nothing. So why subject myself to constant stressors which are deliberately and primarily designed to give me an emotional response about those things just to addict me to clicking on news articles to generate ad revenue for someone else?

Doesn't this come back to the Dunbars number of how may people we can hold in our conscience and care for by proxy? I think there is somewhat of a societal peer pressure to '< virtue > signal care ' or express emotional concern.

Dunbar's number - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Is that real concern or just a societal bred response? Like a child crying when they fall over regardless of if they are injured or not??

I do find that I feel ( or can do ) quite over stimulated by the media presentation of how the various monitors connect me to everything going on in the world and how that is shuttled to ourselves via the phones we all find difficult to distance ourselves from.

Empathy is a strange ( but beautiful ) thing - but I feel it can only be effectively present if one ensures it is somewhat protected - You can't pour from an empty vessel.

 

[Harold Godwinson]

Doesn't this come back to the Dunbars number of how may people we can hold in our conscience and care for by proxy? I think there is somewhat of a societal peer pressure to '< virtue > signal care ' or express emotional concern.

Dunbar's number - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Is that real concern or just a societal bred response? Like a child crying when they fall over regardless of if they are injured or not??

I do find that I feel ( or can do ) quite over stimulated by the media presentation of how the various monitors connect me to everything going on in the world and how that is shuttled to ourselves via the phones we all find difficult to distance ourselves from.

Empathy is a strange ( but beautiful ) thing - but I feel it can only be effectively present if one ensures it is somewhat protected - You can't pour from an empty vessel.

That's deep.. Well said that man

 

[Seagull]

On the other hand, I'm well pleased that I, for one, don't feel the motivational urge to pick lice from others.
Rgds
Ceeg