Shown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by glenn on October 27, 2002, at 12:47:14
In olden days it paid to have some members of the community as hypervigilant anxious individuals. They would warn the community of dangers (such as raging sabre tooth tigers nearby) well before the "norms" would realise any danger and act as a counterbalance to those with less inhibitions.
The theory is I beleive well explained in the book- living with your genes-
The high cortisol,reactive sympathetic nervous system and possibly low gaba levels may have had an evolutionary advantage then, but now they are just a pain.Glenn
Posted by linkadge on October 27, 2002, at 14:54:54
In reply to To Linkadge- You are absolutely right, posted by glenn on October 27, 2002, at 12:47:14
I heard a quote once..
Just because you aren't paranoid
doesn't mean somebody isn't watching.Think of a tribe that would be in
constant battle, say two weeks
of fight, and then another two of
rest. A rapid cycling bipolar would
be lightyears ahead of his fellow soldiers
when it came to the possibility of survival.Linkadge
Posted by BrittPark on October 31, 2002, at 12:30:43
In reply to To Linkadge- You are absolutely right, posted by glenn on October 27, 2002, at 12:47:14
I think you're right about anxiety disorders and perhaps bipolar disorder. There's another common mental illness, schizophrenia, which has also been selected for, not so much for its biological survival value, but for it's cultural value. There are many people in the world whom western medicine would classify as schizophrenic who are honored in their own cultures as prophets or shamans.
I once had an extended conversation with a homeless schizophrenic in San Francisco, and even though his speech was disconnected, there was something almost profound about his utterances.
Britt
This is the end of the thread.
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