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

Challenges and Insults

1 HN point • 11 Oct 23

Using tools leads to them becoming less useful over time.
Our bodies can respond to insults and challenges differently.
Challenges can lead to adaptive changes, while insults typically just cause damage.

Giving and Receiving Advice

1 HN point • 04 Oct 23

Advice is seeking recommendations for action or perspective.
Giving advice can be an opportunity for fun and vicarious living.
Receiving advice provides emotional relief and opportunities for deeper insights.

Emotions Measure & Motivate

1 HN point • 09 Jun 23

To behave adaptively, organisms need to measure different parts of their worlds internally and externally.
Measurements from these organisms motivate decision-making and action.
Emotions serve as measurements that motivate reactions, which were adaptive over evolutionary time.

Rulebook Foundations Theory

0 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24

Sports rules, fouls, and penalties vary but have commonalities in different sports. Rulebook Foundations Theory tries to explain this variation and commonality.
Rulebook Foundations Theory categorizes fouls and penalties into 6 domains including time-related infractions, equipment misuse, and player composition violations.
Understanding why rules exist in sports involves solving a coordination problem to measure performance and deter harm, while organizing the rules is a separate issue addressed by Rulebook Foundations Theory.