Depression: A Mismatch Between the Human Environment of Evolutionary Adaptiveness and Modern Society

Abstract

The prevalence of depression has been on the rise since the inception of the modernization of human society from the late 18th century to today. The present-day human lifestyle is a stark contrast to the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived. This contrast raises concerns of the relationship between the resulting factors of a modern-day lifestyle and the increasing rates of depression within industrialized populations. The environment of evolutionary adaptiveness (EEA) of early humans that resulted in human brain development is very different than the environment humans face in modern society. An examination of research looking into similar conditions and lifestyles human ancestors lived in may help to further the knowledge of the illness of depression today. Studies are indicating support for alternative human lifestyles, but the evidence and interpretations from these studies require careful examination.