AN EVOLUTIONARY REASON TO GIVE UP
Evolutionary predisposition is the analysis du jour when describing all of human behaviour. These days everything we do--from appreciate music to donate to charity--evidently boils down to our desire to lure a mate and make many babies.
Now it seems a scientific study has proven an evolutionary reason for depression:
Dr [Randolph] Nesse’s hypothesis is that, as pain stops you doing damaging physical things, so low mood stops you doing damaging mental ones—in particular, pursuing unreachable goals. Pursuing such goals is a waste of energy and resources. Therefore, he argues, there is likely to be an evolved mechanism that identifies certain goals as unattainable and inhibits their pursuit—and he believes that low mood is at least part of that mechanism.
A study published this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests this clever idea might even be true.
Carsten Wrosch from Concordia University in Montreal and Gregory Miller of the University of British Columbia studied depression in [97] teenage girls... Their conclusion was that those who experienced mild depressive symptoms could, indeed, disengage more easily from unreachable goals. That supports Dr Nesse’s hypothesis. But the new study also found a remarkable corollary: those women who could disengage from the unattainable proved less likely to suffer more serious depression in the long run.
The conclusion to this study is that mild depression is in fact a healthy response to failure. The resulting decline in motivation then lets gloomy folks conserve energy and craft new goals. Disengaging early on saves people from feeling more severe depression down the road.
Adding injury to insult, Dr Wrosch published a paper in 2007 that found that guilelessly pursuing "unattainable" goals (ie, "following your dreams") is also bad for your health (something about concentrations of the inflammatory molecule C-reactive protein, naturally).
It is often satisfying to learn of some sort of evolutionary reason for behaviour--particularly the otherwise odd or inscrutable kind. Philosophers and psychologists may chafe at such a tidy approach to analysing human activity, but it is usually reassuring to believe there is some sort of method to the madness.
This theory on depression, however, is uniquely depressing. How unfortunate to learn that it is in fact healthier to be unambitious, and that dogged ("boot-strap"?) persistence can lead to despair. This, evidently, is the reason why Americans suffer the highest depression rate in the world, Dr Nesse speculates. The problem is all those many goals.
Picture credit: fakelvis (via Flickr)
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Great post. However, I don't
June 27, 2009 - 02:29 — Isa (not verified)Great post. However, I don't think we should necessarily conclude that it encourages being docile and unambitious. It actually reassures those who struggle with their goals that a more realistic and segmented approach is needed. The mental torture begins to lead to mild depression and subsequently (for those who know that success = perseverance) to introspection.
I personally face this kind of mood "recession" every six weeks, and when I do, I make sure I isolate myself for at least an hour to rejuvenate my vision and motivation.
This reminds me of Homer's
June 27, 2009 - 13:38 — Daniel (not verified)This reminds me of Homer's famous edict: The first step to failure is trying. (Homer Simpson, of course)
Isa is right: the idea and the findings don't suggest that we shouldn't try. Rather, they show only that trying is not a simple, straightforward task. Even crafting goals - as distinct from pursuing them - is something we can iterate and improve at, and depression is the feedback we get that we have chosen goals badly.
Like the pain that accompanies touching a hot stove, the depression that comes from aiming for a star too high lets us learn about our place in the world.
We need to remember too that
June 28, 2009 - 23:44 — paul (not verified)We need to remember too that not trying can be as successful as trying. In high school our band gave up trying to win competitions as we were simply miserable. That allowed us to relax and have fun and then, surprise, we started to win to our utter stupification. Depression taught me an awareness of the double bind and thus a key to mental freedom. Thank you depression, RIP.
It's difficult and scary for
June 29, 2009 - 22:42 — Visitor (not verified)It's difficult and scary for me to believe that all pursuits in life lead toward trying to get a mate, and that our evolutionary predisposition takes away much of our free will. Sure the Catholic Church rejects the idea of genes dominating our actions for this very reason, because we would not be completely autonomous and without complete free will. This idea flies in the face of free will -- that we have mechanisms such as depression to compensate for goals which do not make us 'successful' (i.e. lead to making babies). I don't know what's right anymore. I'm so confused.
uses for depression
July 6, 2009 - 05:30 — Marsha (not verified)Finding there are evolutionary uses for depression...what will they discover next? This could have a positive impact. Teenage angst? It's healthy. As a parent I'm relieved.
Life's Free Motivation
October 9, 2009 - 14:38 — Alexander (not verified)Interesting article.
In my life experience on climbing mountains, I learned that we need to catch the second wind to continue that journey we set in our life. Stay focussed and give and take with positive like minded family members.
I would like to share some snippets, well.. kind of useful internal guidance for life from real people who succeed overcoming trials in life - Mr Will Smith.
The mantra to success is that you can never afford to give up. You need to keep struggling and keep pushing yourself to the limit, until you reach the goal you have set up for yourself.
Money and success don't change people; they merely amplify what is already there.
Every once in a while it's your turn to be broken down. And you wait for the tow truck to come. That's how I viewed that difficult time in my life
Will Smith had once declared powerfully, “I don't know what my calling is, but I want to be here for a bigger reason. I strive to be like the greatest people who have ever lived.” It is this constant urge to ‘strive’ and to struggle that has made him one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. Smith’s inspiring rise to the top in his career only reaffirms the fact that if you are looking for success, you need to have the right mindset to propel you up to the top. You can succeed only when you believe in yourself and your ability to act – like Smith, you need to believe that you are here for “a bigger reason.”
Cheers.
Alexander Paul
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