I recently heard someone ask why humans, compared to other animals, evolved such a tendency toward mental illness. With almost one in five Americans suffering from a mental illness, it’s easy to understand why an American could make such a mistake: to assume that mental illness is just a common fact of human life, and to think that we are hardwired for depression and anxiety. We aren’t, though. These disorders are caused not by our biology, but primarily by a mismatch between our biology and our modern environments. We evolved in a world much different from the one we now inhabit, and we suffer for the difference.

One way I have noticed the mismatch between my biology¹ and my environment in my own life is by noticing the effect that being constantly bombarded with stimulation and novelty has on me. Whether it’s social media, reddit, Youtube, TV shows, or video games, I have been lured in by superstimuli that oversatiate my curiosity the same way McDonalds can oversatiate one’s hunger. The modern American is never hungry, and never bored. The advantages of these technologies are obvious, but they come at a price. They are novelty-porn. All they give us is freedom from boredom, but in return they overwhelm our fragile biology. Even the wrong kind of books can suck you in and enthrall you. They complained, saying that computers and smartphones would ruin us. Before that, they worried about TV. Even before that, they worried that the written word would destroy society. What if, instead of being all wrong, these Luddites were all actually right, and each of these new technologies, each more fascinating and mesmorizing than the last, has taken us one step further from our evolutionary lifestyle, and one step further toward chaos?

I, for one, am sick of being waterboarded with the fake news, the fake drama, the advertisements, the calls to like and subscribe, and all of the generally frenetic media of the Internet era. I’m done with it. I’m not going to withdraw from modern society entirely, but I see now the virtue in the quiet life. I have been reading paper books instead of reading on my phone, and trying to read more. I’m buying an armchair to create a reading nook and everything. I have also made an effort to write more. This blog post is evidence of that, as is the pen-pals app, Slowly, which I’ve been using to talk to people in a more long-form, relaxed way than is usually possible online.

I want to cozy up with a good book. I want to spend time with my dog and my girlfriend. I want to think, and write, and solve interesting problems. I want to step out of the frenzied river of bullshit that modern people choose to swim in. And all I have to do is give up the notion that I should never be bored. I just have to be okay with my mind wandering every once in a while. Small price to pay, I think, for peace.

The environment of my ancestors ↩

Footnotes

Rich Text Copier