Living Fossils

Living Fossils explores the interplay between evolutionary psychology and mental health, aiming to understand the origins and functions of psychological phenomena. It delves into emotions, decision-making, social behaviors, and modern challenges through the lens of evolutionary adaptation, providing insights into managing well-being and navigating contemporary life.

Evolutionary Psychology Mental Health and Wellbeing Emotion Management Decision-Making Social Behavior and Interaction Parenting and Existential Questions Academic Publishing Adolescent Mental Health Dehumanization and Empathy Happiness and Comparison Fear and Anxiety Power and Identity Memory and Cognition Coordination in Nature Advice and Insight Contentedness and Satisfaction Loneliness and Solitude Power Dynamics Boredom and Stimuli Evaluation Crying and Emotional Signaling Adaptation and Modern Challenges

The hottest Substack posts of Living Fossils

And their main takeaways

The Existential Relief of Having Children

68 HN points • 28 Feb 24
  1. Parents often experience less existential anxiety as parenthood provides answers to life's big questions and shifts priorities.
  2. Existential relief from parenting can come from the distraction of survival responsibilities that take away time to ponder life's purpose.
  3. Parenthood offers a sense of productivity and purpose, although it can bring about stress and fatigue as a trade-off.

What Would a Hunter-Gatherer Do?

45 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
  1. Humans rely on heuristics or shortcuts to process information efficiently.
  2. Evolved heuristics impact decision-making, even though they may lead to cognitive biases.
  3. Considering a hunter-gatherer approach can provide insights into making decisions that promote well-being and mental health.

Brief Announcements

9 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Publications
  1. The Living Fossils blog has reached significant milestones with thousands of views and over four digits of subscribers.
  2. A new section called The Boneyard has been introduced for specialized content or pieces with a different tone.
  3. The blog is open to hosting guest pieces if they align with the site's purpose and maintain high quality.

Returning to Ivan Illich

19 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
  1. People have outsourced the responsibility of their health to the medical system, impacting self-care.
  2. Increased life expectancy is primarily due to acute issue treatments, not chronic conditions.
  3. The outsourcing of personal and communal responsibility in mental health may lead to over-reliance on experts rather than personal and community involvement.

Athletes Play Coordination Games – Coordination Part III

6 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🎾 Sports Athletics Games Rules
  1. Sports are a way for humans to measure and compare abilities, leading to the motivation to compete and demonstrate skills.
  2. Different sports have different rules to solve coordination problems - the rules must be agreed upon to accurately measure abilities.
  3. Penalties and fouls in sports serve two main purposes: maintaining the integrity of the game as a measurement tool and deterring harmful actions.
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Animals Play Coordination Games - Coordination Part I

10 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🔬 Science Evolutionary biology Animal Behavior Game Theory
  1. Animals play coordination games to survive, such as cicadas coordinating emergence to avoid predators.
  2. In coordination games, like fireflies with unique flashing patterns, the key is for all individuals to use the same strategy for successful coordination.
  3. Coordination games are not only seen in animals playing over evolutionary time but also in real-time situations, like fish schooling or starlings murmuration.

Mostly Mindless Protests

17 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
  1. Even ancient evidence can help evaluate different hypotheses about the function of evolved structures.
  2. Beliefs can be used to signal group membership more than conveying truth or accuracy.
  3. Joining protests or groups often involves more about signaling allegiance than understanding the cause.

Fear (Part I)

10 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Anxiety Therapy Evolutionary Psychology Fear Well-being
  1. Fear can lead to negative consequences like stress and health issues, but it played an important role in our survival and evolution.
  2. Stress from fear has been linked to significant health problems like hypertension and cardiovascular disease, impacting millions worldwide.
  3. Understanding the evolutionary origins of fear and anxiety can help normalize these emotions, reduce self-judgment, and open up possibilities for reducing their impact.

The Teen Mental Health Crisis

13 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
  1. Adolescent mental health has become a national emergency.
  2. Increased phone and social media use may be contributing to teen mental health issues.
  3. Teens need better community support and challenge, not less responsibility.

Trust the Process? The Trials of Academic Publishing

15 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
  1. Trust the process involves believing in a long-term strategy despite short-term challenges.
  2. Academic publishing involves a lengthy, challenging process from idea to publication in a journal.
  3. Psychology values empirical research over theory, leading to challenges in publishing theoretical papers.

The Need for Social Insulation

17 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
  1. Social insulation is important for health and well-being, but modern society often undermines it.
  2. Factors like individual temperament, familiarity, emotional regulation, group size, and performativity influence the need for social insulation.
  3. Technology has changed social interactions, making it harder to have genuine solitude and affecting mental restoration.

What To Do With Emotions - Part I

28 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
  1. Dealing with emotions can be hard, but understanding the adaptive goal of the emotion is crucial.
  2. Knowing the function of an emotion can guide effective action in addressing it.
  3. Learning techniques to resist emotional temptations, prevent triggers, and discharge emotions can help manage emotions effectively.

Net Power

7 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
  1. Power is limited, making it hard to take over the whole world.
  2. Historically, power was concentrated in certain identities like kings, but limits were imposed over time.
  3. The shift from identity-focused to action-focused regimes decreases power of those with privileged identities.

People Play Coordination Games - Coordination II

3 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🔬 Science Language Communication Beliefs Culture
  1. Humans use language to efficiently convey ideas and thoughts, making it the ultimate coordination game of transferring information.
  2. The shared sound/idea mappings among groups of people in language are a result of solving coordination problems to move information effectively.
  3. Differences in language sound/idea mappings across groups exist due to multiple equilibria in coordination, showcasing the complexity of language evolution and usage.

What To Do With Emotions - Part III

17 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
  1. Evolutionary psychology and clinical psychology have different approaches in understanding and treating emotions.
  2. Jealousy, for example, is viewed differently by evolutionary psychologists, focusing on its function in protecting relationships.
  3. Therapists should consider the interaction between a client and their situation, rather than defaulting to internal or personal causes for emotional issues.

Dogs are nice. Antipathy is not.

12 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
  1. Humans can dehumanize others in certain situations, like when someone is viewed as a norm violator or a member of an outgroup.
  2. Dehumanization can lead to lack of empathy and make people more willing to harm others, especially in intergroup conflicts.
  3. Antipathy towards humans can be driven by factors like rivalry, norm violation, or being part of an enemy group, leading to a negative relationship unlike that with dogs.

She's Got That Knowing Feeling

8 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
  1. The feeling of knowing is like metal detecting, with a sense of probability and specific search tools.
  2. Searching for memories incurs opportunity costs, pushing a balance between searching and moving on.
  3. There are signals in memory tasks, like recalling birds, that measure effort and the need to switch to a new 'patch' of memories.

What To Do With Emotions - Part IV

8 implied HN points • 06 Dec 23
  1. Emotions are difficult to manage due to evolving in a different world
  2. The limbic system may overpower logical reasoning in influencing emotions
  3. Personal connection and practice are crucial for meaningful changes in emotional management

The Adaptive Role of Emotions

23 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
  1. Emotions are adaptations that evolved to help our ancestors survive and reproduce.
  2. Considering emotions as adaptively functional can help us understand their reason and purpose.
  3. Understanding emotions as panhuman and subject to natural selection can help lower the personal stakes associated with them.

Power Part IV: Who Sides with Baby Killers?

8 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
  1. People often choose sides in conflicts based on identity rather than actions
  2. The surprise over support for certain actions often comes from misunderstanding the fundamental difference between choosing based on identities vs actions
  3. Progressive ideologies are deeply rooted in identity, which can sometimes lead to overlooking basic human ethics in favor of loyalty to identities

Satisfaction

5 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
  1. Satisfaction is not guaranteed, and can be found in various stimuli like popping bubbles or perfectly harvested crops.
  2. Satisfaction is linked to efficiency in problem-solving, confidence in achieving a goal, and the precision of reaching the goal state.
  3. The feeling of satisfaction motivates learning and problem-solving by rewarding efficient solutions and attracting attention to successful problem-solving strategies.

Truth in Tears: The Function of Crying

4 implied HN points • 29 Nov 23
  1. Crying serves as a signal, especially in babies, to communicate needs and gain assistance.
  2. Signaling theory explains that tears convey honest emotions and requests for help to aligned individuals.
  3. Crying can be a universal signal of shared values, loyalty, and the need for comfort or aid.

What to Do With Emotions - Part II

5 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
  1. Adaptations that were once useful in the past may not be beneficial in modern environments.
  2. Distinguishing between fitness-good and utility-good behaviors can help navigate decision-making.
  3. Understanding the evolutionary origins of emotions can aid in making choices that are best suited for current situations.

Contentedness

7 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
  1. Contentedness is a positive emotion linked to completing a task with limited further benefit.
  2. Opportunity costs in decision-making involve considering what else can be done with time or resources.
  3. Diminishing returns can influence when to move on from an activity, as rewards decrease over time.

Evolution is the Thief of Joy

11 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
  1. Comparison is the thief of joy, as stated by Theodore Roosevelt.
  2. Evolutionary perspective on happiness views emotions as motivating adaptive actions.
  3. With increased communication and technology, constant comparisons can lead to feelings of inadequacy and decreased happiness.

Loneliness, Part II: Solutions to Loneliness

7 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
  1. Solitude can offer a break from negative social emotions, but may also lead to missing out on social rewards and support.
  2. Parasocial relationships with media figures can serve as a way to cheat our need for social connections, but may not fully satisfy our evolutionary-based need for real, reciprocal relationships.
  3. While technology provides alternatives for social connections, real human relationships remain crucial for overall well-being and societal benefits.

Quiet Desperation

8 implied HN points • 09 Aug 23
  1. In times of struggle, people may fantasize about escaping their problems, but often the reality of the situation keeps them rooted in their current path.
  2. Quiet desperation is the feeling of being trapped between wanting to leave a situation and hoping for improvement, creating a sense of emotional strain.
  3. Staying stagnant in a challenging situation can lead to a deepening sense of desperation, causing individuals to struggle between idealized fantasies and the harsh realities of their circumstances.

Evolutionary Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Wisdom

9 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
  1. Evolutionary principles enable wisdom and potential for a flourishing life.
  2. Genetic predispositions interact with the environment to produce outcomes.
  3. Extraordinary environments can lead to positive outcomes, like cultivating wisdom.

The True Meaning of Power

6 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23
  1. Power resides in shared beliefs rather than physical strength or weapons.
  2. Power in non-human animals is often determined by resource-holding potential.
  3. Human power involves the use of force, threats, and rewards to advance interests.

Digging Into Boring

5 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
  1. The same stimulus can be perceived as boring or exciting depending on the context.
  2. Boredom is a relational property, measuring the difference in rewards compared to other activities.
  3. Boredom serves as a motivator to switch tasks by nudging individuals towards new experiences promising greater rewards.

The Warm Fuzzies

3 implied HN points • 27 Sep 23
  1. Warm fuzzies are the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when someone thanks you for doing something nice.
  2. Gratitude and acts of kindness signal how much you value someone, which can strengthen relationships and reputation.
  3. Feeling warm fuzzies and receiving gratitude can motivate altruistic behavior and improve social connections.

Defining Altruism

2 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
  1. Altruism in the biological sense benefits others at a cost to the individual exhibiting the behavior.
  2. Defining something based on its design rather than just behavior can avoid glaring counterexamples.
  3. Altruism can be seen in systems designed to benefit others, and the presence of such systems suggests altruism in humans.

So What?

4 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
  1. Understanding human psychology through an evolutionary perspective helps people have a stronger scientific foundation for mental health.
  2. Evolutionary psychology can provide explanation, coherence, and testable hypotheses in psychology.
  3. Resistance to evolutionary psychology is influenced by factors like aversion to new ideas, anthropocentrism, and past misapplications of evolutionary theory.

Ticklishness

3 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
  1. Tickling can cause laughter even if it's not necessarily fun.
  2. Ticklishness may measure the extent to which one could be harmed by someone but they choose not to harm.
  3. Tickling can have both positive and negative aspects, conveying a sense of forbearance and power dynamics.

The Role of Politics in Therapy

3 implied HN points • 19 Jul 23
  1. Therapists should maintain neutrality and respect client autonomy in therapy
  2. Therapists should challenge their own core beliefs and the field's assumptions
  3. High political polarization and politicization can impact mental health, emphasizing the need for therapy to remain apolitical

Power Part III: The power of Bandwagoning

2 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
  1. In conflicts, power often lies in knowing who will support you, like hyenas supporting kin or people supporting those of certain identities.
  2. Humans tend to choose sides in conflicts based on identity or actions, with identity-focused side-taking often leading to disastrous results.
  3. The way human bandwagoning works means actions are used as pretexts for attacks, even when those actions are not real, highlighting the complexity and dangers of power dynamics.

Awe

3 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
  1. Facial expressions provide clues about the function of emotions.
  2. Awe may measure how atypical or extreme something is.
  3. Feeling awe motivates paying careful attention and learning.

Loneliness, Part I: Being Lonely Around Others

2 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
  1. Loneliness can happen even when surrounded by others, based on the gap between desired and perceived connection levels.
  2. Loneliness is influenced by biases in perception, which can lead individuals to underestimate their social connections.
  3. Loneliness serves as a measure of social connection and can have significant impacts on both mental and physical health.

Power Sticks & Power Carrots

2 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
  1. Power can come from the ability to harm others (Power Sticks) and the ability to confer benefits (Power Carrots).
  2. Threats only work if they are credible and known to the threatened party.
  3. Having friends and allies can be a source of power because cooperation often leads to support and influence.

The Action Words of Emotions

2 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
  1. The words we use to describe emotions reflect our abstract conceptualization of them.
  2. Our healthy options for managing emotions involve acknowledging and interacting with them, while the unhealthy options involve avoidance.
  3. Considering emotions as 'false alarms' can lead us to ignore or wait out our emotions more frequently, especially in the modern world.