In our previous discussions, we’ve explored how our natural instincts and modern social norms work against our health. Now, let’s step back and look at the bigger picture. How did we end up in this situation? The answer might surprise you: our current lifestyle is, in many ways, the product of our instincts’ triumph.
The Evolutionary Mismatch
Our bodies are essentially the same as those of our ancestors from 300,000 years ago. However, our environment has changed dramatically. This creates what scientists call an “evolutionary mismatch” – a situation where traits that evolved in one environment become maladaptive in a new one.
The Agricultural Revolution: Our First Step Towards Abundance
The shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural ones marks a crucial point in human history. This transition, which began around 12,000 years ago, was driven by our instinct to secure a stable food supply.
Hunter-gatherer life was unpredictable. Some days brought abundance, others scarcity. Agriculture promised more control over our food supply, aligning perfectly with our instinct to avoid hunger and ensure survival.
However, this shift had unintended consequences. It led to a more sedentary lifestyle and a less varied diet. These changes laid the groundwork for many of the health challenges we face today.
The Industrial and Technological Revolutions: Minimizing Effort and Discomfort
Fast forward to more recent history, and we see our instincts driving innovation in new ways. The past century has seen an explosion of technologies aimed at minimizing physical effort and discomfort:
- Cars, and later, electric bikes and scooters, reduce the need for physical exertion in transportation.
- Air conditioning and central heating eliminate the need to endure temperature extremes.
- Labor-saving devices in our homes, from dishwashers to robotic vacuum cleaners, further reduce our daily physical activity.
Each of these innovations caters to our instinct to conserve energy and avoid discomfort. They solved real problems and improved quality of life in many ways. However, they also contributed to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
The Food Industry: Catering to Our Cravings
Perhaps nowhere is the triumph of our instincts more evident than in our food supply. We’ve not only achieved food security but have gone far beyond it to create an environment of constant abundance.
The food industry, understanding our innate preference for energy-dense foods, has capitalized on this instinct. Sugary, fatty, and ultra-processed foods are not just available – they’re ubiquitous, heavily marketed, and engineered to be hyperpalatable.
This environment of abundance, coupled with foods designed to appeal to our instinctive cravings, has contributed significantly to the rise in obesity and related health issues.
The Market Forces: Selling to Our Instincts
This situation isn’t the result of a grand conspiracy. Rather, it’s the natural outcome of market forces intersecting with our biological instincts.
Products and services that cater to our instincts – to minimize effort, avoid discomfort, and indulge in calorie-dense foods – are simply easier to sell. This has led to a proliferation of:
- Convenience foods and delivery services
- Comfortable but movement-restricting furniture
- Cushioned footwear that feels good but may weaken our feet over time
- Escalators and elevators in every building
These products and services aren’t inherently bad. Many have improved our quality of life in meaningful ways. However, their ubiquity has created an environment where the path of least resistance is often the least healthy one.
The Reinforcing Power of Social Norms
As these instinct-catering products and behaviors became widespread, they also became normalized. Our instinct to fit in with our social group then kicks in, reinforcing these often-unhealthy norms.
When someone goes against these norms – by doing push-ups in public, for instance – it can be perceived as a threat to the group’s stability. This perception leads to social judgment and pressure, making it challenging for individuals to adopt healthier behaviors that go against the grain.
The Paradox of Progress
Here’s the paradox: In many ways, we’ve created exactly the world our instincts have always pushed us towards. We have abundant food, minimal required physical effort, and protection from discomfort. We’ve effectively conquered the environmental challenges our instincts evolved to help us navigate.
The problem? Our biology hasn’t caught up with this rapid change in our environment. We’re still operating with hardware (our bodies) and software (our instincts) optimized for a world of scarcity and high physical demands.
Moving Forward: A Foresighted Approach
Recognizing this triumph of our instincts is the first step towards creating a healthier future. We can’t – and shouldn’t – completely dismantle the world we’ve built. Many of our innovations have brought genuine improvements to human life.
Instead, we need to adopt a foresighted lifestyle that balances the benefits of our modern world with the biological needs of our bodies.
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