Hunter-gatherers, evolutionary mismatch and mental disorder

Nikhil Chaudhary

Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge

*Note: This speaker will be remote; However, we will still be meeting in Haines 352 to watch the talk and conduct the Q&A.

Humans lived as hunter-gatherers for the vast majority of our evolutionary history, therefore it has been proposed that aspects of our psychology may be adapted to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. There are several assumptions in this proposal, however, research with contemporary hunter-gatherers can offer a useful starting point for exploring the potential for evolutionary mismatch—when an organism faces conditions that differ from those that some trait of the organism is adapted to, resulting in pathology or maladaptation. Drawing on my fieldwork and previous research, I will discuss how discordances between the social organisation of hunter-gatherers and WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic) societies may affect vulnerability to mental disorders in the latter. I will pay particularly attention to differences in residence patterns, hierarchical structures, and social networks. I will also discuss differences in childcare strategies and their implications for psychological development.