Samantha Murphy, contributor
Social anxiety and depression are miserable, but they may have evolutionary benefits
DEPRESSION and anxiety are easily two of the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric ailments. But if they are so prevalent across so many cultures and societies, where did they come from? Are we experiencing an epidemic? Or is it simply a case of mislabelling a common, though unpleasant, life experience as a disorder in order to medically whisk away the tough bits of what it means to be human?
In psychiatrist Jeffrey Kahn's new book, Angst, he examines the origins of depression and anxiety and, using current research in psychology and evolutionary biology, carefully applies a unique anthropological perspective for why these conditions exist.
He reasons, for example, that social anxiety - the fear of interactions with strangers - may have evolved to enable a natural social ranking system in which some people feel most comfortable towards the bottom of the totem pole. This natural shuffling would have made for a less aggressive, more survivable living situation and reduced fighting for leadership.
Alcohol, Kahn goes on to argue, may well be the "first widely used psychopharmacological medication" - given its ability to "lubricate" a socially anxious person. It is no secret that alcohol can allow us to disregard our varying degrees of social anxiety and pursue endeavours that we may otherwise avoid. Kahn suggests this, too, has an evolutionary purpose: for a person who is normally withdrawn, "beer muscles" can provide a chance to get socially involved, or contribute to their community in a way they might not otherwise.
Viewing depression and anxiety as a form of survival strategy is novel, and as yet the practical application of these theories remains elusive. One possible conclusion is that people with such conditions should not be medicated because, in spite of the personal struggles they may endure, there are hidden evolutionary benefits.
But Kahn is not endorsing the idea that we stop treating people with medication, and the book falls short on applications in a real-world context. As a result, the usefulness of these new perspectives feels limited.
The book is written for a wide audience, but Kahn's valiant attempt to break down the points with colourful examples, quotes and case studies, is mired by psychiatric lingo and jargon. Consequently, the book reads like a well-researched bar chat between off-duty psychiatrists bantering about how maybe, just maybe, angst isn't such a bad thing after all.
Book information
Angst: Origins of anxiety and depression by Jeffrey P. Kahn
Oxford University Press
?22.50/$34.95
Maverick mathematician looks back
Kat Austen, CultureLab editor
HE WAS shaped by war, migration and poverty - though these travails only made the late French-American mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot stronger. Throughout his life, the man who discovered the mathematics behind fractal geometry insisted on bucking trends, maintaining a fierce individuality. He was nothing short of a maverick.
The Fractalist, Mandelbrot's account of his own life, begins with details of his forebears and ends with a photo of him in his 80s surrounded by grandchildren. But he often departs from the linear chronology, spiralling out into seemingly misplaced vignettes. This disjointed (you could almost say fractal) narrative doesn't undermine the impact of the memoir. Mandelbrot draws surprising links between his lifelong academic and political sparring and his unique visual sensibilities to paint a picture of how he came to see the world in an entirely new way, from his first musings on word frequencies to postulations of a theory of what makes surfaces rough.
"Fractal geometry... first invites disbelief but... becomes so natural that one wonders why it has only recently been developed," he wrote. Perhaps it was simply a matter of waiting for someone with the courage and vision to see reality differently. Mandelbrot's truly inspiring story explains just how such a person came to be.
Book information
The Fractalist: Memoir of a scientific maverick by Benoit Mandelbrot
Pantheon
$30
Follow @CultureLabNS on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
cruise ship sinking vernon davis starship troopers starship troopers cruise ship italy patriots broncos game saints
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.