I think most traits give either an evolutionary advantage to you or your group
According to your opinion, which evolutionary advantage would something like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia provide to your group?
Religion.
ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
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Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#12Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
According to your opinion, which evolutionary advantage would something like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia provide to your group?
Religion.
Interesting thought. More than once I've heard the theory that the prophets of old (Moses, Jesus, Muhammad etc.), were actually schizophrenics and hearing voices. Only due to the superstition of the time they sometimes became regarded as holy men (or women like the case of Jeanne d'Arc) instead of being shunned, or, as we do it today, treated and medicated in order to suppress the symptoms.
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#14I think most traits give either an evolutionary advantage to you or your group
According to your opinion, which evolutionary advantage would something like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia provide to your group?
Someone posted an article a while ago that claimed the ratio of people with ADHD, autism, etc. lined up with Dunbar’s number (the theoretical preferred size of a social group) so that there would be about one individual per group with these traits. The article then went on to theorize that this was an evolutionary adaptation against total conformity. Even if everyone else doesn’t see the landslide in the distance the one weirdo might.
I can’t find the article after searching on hn.algolia.com but IIRC there was no real evidence for this, it was just a theory.
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#15I find that 10mg of a Concerta derivative make me enjoy the positive aspects of my disorder -- ADHD inattentive type -- while preventing the negatives. I was already a working adult when I first tried medicating and it's been a life changing experience. I take one dose on a weekday morning when I have to concentrate on manual tasks and I skip the dose when I want to use more of my imagination for concept and idea gat…
Outside of the dosage, seconding this! Also inattentive flavoured ADHD. 70mg Elvanse usually allows me to be a productive day to day person, skipping the dose on Saturdays is where I let myself freely roam the internet and tinker with new software, languages, systems, coming up with fiction, coming up with sketches for a TV show that will probably never see the light of day, etc. Sundays get a dose as normal but I us…
How long does 70mg Elvanse last for you?
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#16I think most traits give either an evolutionary advantage to you or your group
According to your opinion, which evolutionary advantage would something like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia provide to your group?
You wouldnt need full BP or Schizophrenia to justify this -- if partial traits to partial degrees confer advantage, then the full constellation of them may be dysfunctional in an individual but worth preserving for net benefits. Evolution does not operate at the level of individuals, so most in practice, are often dysfunctional in many respects.
As for schizophrenia, see it is an exageration of rule-seeking and pattern-seeking behaviour, an over-imparting of consciousness and intention to the world, a (disregulated) sense of significance. But each of these are vital for survival and procreation in less extreme degrees.
As for BP, hypomania seems plainly adaptive in some cases (eg., esp. having sex a lot, working a lot, ...); and "hypo-depression" likewise (eg., low opporunitites for winter work, retreating, conserving, less risk takign, etc.).
It also seems adaptive that we would swing between these, so we can better explore the mood-space of motivation.
You just extremize that and you get disfunction
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#17I find that 10mg of a Concerta derivative make me enjoy the positive aspects of my disorder -- ADHD inattentive type -- while preventing the negatives. I was already a working adult when I first tried medicating and it's been a life changing experience. I take one dose on a weekday morning when I have to concentrate on manual tasks and I skip the dose when I want to use more of my imagination for concept and idea gat…
Outside of the dosage, seconding this! Also inattentive flavoured ADHD. 70mg Elvanse usually allows me to be a productive day to day person, skipping the dose on Saturdays is where I let myself freely roam the internet and tinker with new software, languages, systems, coming up with fiction, coming up with sketches for a TV show that will probably never see the light of day, etc. Sundays get a dose as normal but I us…
How do you handle falling asleep in the evening?
While my Elvanse dose is merely half of yours it always seems to affect my nervous system for much too long, keeping me unable to sleep before 3am on weekdays on the average.
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#18I think this is a good example of how we mix up concepts: ADHD is just a phenotype. Then, our society classifies it as a condition because it does not go well with current circumstances. Although, both are separate things.
I feel adhd is only a diagnosis beacause society demands to much attention/focus; I've once told my therapist if flying was required to be part of the society my diagnosis would be unwinged
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#19I think this is a good example of how we mix up concepts: ADHD is just a phenotype. Then, our society classifies it as a condition because it does not go well with current circumstances. Although, both are separate things.
Is there an actual consensus on what ADHD _is_, besides a catch-all for some common concentration and hyperactivity symptoms?
People online assert a lot of things, such as "it's a dysfunction of dopamine pathways", "it's genetic", "it's a sort of autism", "it's a brain chemistry problem". But never anything that looked like a real definition backed by good science.
My own psychiatrist's diagnosis was a bunch of obvious questions that I couldn't answer honestly even if I tried. The conversation boils down to: "I have trouble concentrating and wonder if I have ADHD, I have [common symptoms backed by anecdotal evidence]. - OK, they have to affect your life severely enough to qualify. Do you think they are? - I guess, that's what I'm here to find out. - OK, let's try Ritalin." It was only helpful in that I needed to focus during a semester of studies and the stimulants did it.
It feels like I had a cough, got diagnosed with cough syndrome, and went through cough medications until they started helping the cough, and now I can describe myself as a cough syndrome sufferer. Where's the virus?
Re: ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
According to your opinion, which evolutionary advantage would something like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia provide to your group?
Someone posted an article a while ago that claimed the ratio of people with ADHD, autism, etc. lined up with Dunbar’s number (the theoretical preferred size of a social group) so that there would be about one individual per group with these traits. The article then went on to theorize that this was an evolutionary adaptation against total conformity. Even if everyone else doesn’t see the landslide in the distance the…
If you find it please post, I'm interested