Why do we experience extreme anxiety? Psych-she explore our Stone-Age past to find out the history of this emotion and see how it impacts us in a modern world.
Have you ever wondered what the point of anxiety is? I definitely have. I don’t even want to think about the amount of hours I have spent stressing and feeling, to be honest, awful over a situation that in the grand scheme of my life means nothing.
Of course, I speak as a woman living in a modern world, where thankfully most of us do not have to face life-threatening situations daily. However, looking back to our poor ancestors 2.5 million years ago in the Stone-Age era, the world would have been slightly different.
With humans living in hunter-gatherer roles, fears of being attacked by a predator or not getting enough food would have been a daily occurrence.
I wonder how my stress levels could cope in that situation? I expect my chance of survival in that situation is down to a minimum.
Fortunately for us, being put in life or death situations is distant from the comfort and safety we experience in modern day life. Though, this doesn’t mean anxiety has been left behind in the past.
With research from Mental Health UK stating that “1 in 10 of us will be living with an anxiety disorder”, leaves serious questions over how well our brains have evolved to cope with the stresses of modern day life.
Professor Allan Horwitz, a sociologist whose research has centred around anxiety and author of the book ‘Anxiety: a Short History’, explains how: “Anxiety is not a new emotion, it hasn’t developed recently, it is something that is present right from the very beginning of recorded history
“This makes it a deeply rooted instinctual response, it is just now we live in a therapeutic environment where the anxiety is much more present, people are aware of it
“With anxiety being an instinctive emotion, this means that it has been in the human genome many thousands of years ago and would have gotten there in response to a situation that had been threatening in prehistoric times but is no longer cause to be anxious.”
The ‘instinctual’ nature of anxiety explains how we as humans have this emotion, hardwired into our brain, through experiences our ancestors faced. From this we can see how certain challenges we face in life can trigger this response as a way of keeping us safe.
You try being chased by a bear and not be left with a deep level of anxiety!
Professor Horwitz added: “Flying for example is an extremely common fear, and whilst our ancestors would not have experienced being in an aeroplane, a fear of heights is another very common fear, being in an enclosed space with strangers for a long period of time with no possibility of getting out, those combined are responsible for why so many people are afraid
“Even something like flying where there is nothing to resemble that in prehistoric times nevertheless seems to be a combination of responses that are inherently anxiety invoking and in many people their anxiousness overwhelms the practical gains from flying
“This is an example of a mismatch between natural response and the circumstance in which the natural response emerged, so most of the kinds of things that are the most common types of anxiety are that mismatch.”
The idea of a ‘mismatch’ between what it is we feel anxious over, like flying, is not an irrational fear. As Professor Horwitz points out, flying incorporates several factors that our instincts could register as harmful, despite the likelihood of something going wrong being low.
However, whilst we can see why some people feel anxious over certain situations, I still want to know why I get sleepless nights, driven by anxiety, over something that I know is unlikely to happen.
David Lundberg-Kenrick, co-author of the book ‘Solving Modern Problems with a Stone-Age Brain: Human Evolution and the Seven Fundamental Motives’ explains how: “We are designed to quickly notice things and see an immediate threat to our life, and we also see opportunities like a food source, and these things have quick and immediate impacts on our lives and our need to survive
“It is just that the versions of the issues that we try to solve in modern society are much different than the versions our ancestors faced.”
As I sit back in my warm house scrolling endlessly on my phone with a TV blaring Netflix, it is easy to forget how life was for my Stone-Age ancestors.
While a life without the internet sounds like one I would rather not experience, what we fundamentally need to survive is not much different to what our ancestors needed in the past.
Mr Lundberg-Kenrick added: “Solving modern problems is key where we often think if we have everything we need we will be happy but that is not really the case, we are not designed to be happy. We are designed to look around and see what is wrong and how can I fix it
“We are always trying to make our lives better, but on the other hand it’s still a stressful world and we are still often not quite as far as on the edge of danger as we may like to think
“So, when we are in a position where we have central heating, food on the table but we don’t have a lot of ways to control the world around us, that can be really stressful.”
The fact that we can go to the local supermarket to pick up dinner, instead of spending all day hunting, is an example of the luxury of a modern-day life.
Though, I don’t believe that many modern day stressors, even in my own life, are not just as stress worthy. To me, they are a similar response to the environment I know.
Hilit Koren, 23, a graphic designer and mental health blogger, recalls the first time she thought she was suffering with anxiety: “I remember I was around 14 and it was on the day of a test, I put all my energy to studying, but I would often spend the entire night crying while attempting to study
“As the teacher handed me the test paper, I found it difficult to breathe, my body trembled, and my heart raced. The school considered taking me to the emergency room, but the counsellor suggested it could be a panic attack
“The experience was long and exhausting. I needed a full day of sleep afterwards, followed by several days of recovery. Whenever I recalled the incident, I would relive it and feel like I was in the midst of that panic attack again
“Anxiety turned my life around completely. I was once an excellent student, but intense anxiety forced me to leave school at 14, before finishing middle school and basic daily interactions became a struggle.”
Whilst Hilit was a student with years of school ahead of her and many different pathways she could decide to take, a fear of failing triggered an extreme anxiety response. We can see how the test is not going to necessarily change the trajectory of Hilit’s life, but the pressure to succeed in school is one that many can relate to.
As living in a society with structures, such as an education system, which we go through to eventually get on the career path we want, failing an exam is something that potentially our brains could register as a threat.
Mr Lundberg-Kenrick explains how: “In order to achieve a comfortable life, we force ourselves into these uncomfortable situations and actually you might be happier running around in the woods trying to find something to eat.”
“This drives a mismatch into what our brains think we should be doing and what we actually have to do to survive these days.”
Despite modern day comforts, we as humans are still navigating ourselves through stressful situations every day. Whether it’s waking up late, meaning you are late for an appointment, or falling out with a friend, the modern world is not exempt from stressors.
We still, and will always, find ourselves in uncomfortable circumstances which our brains could sense as a threat and therefore trigger anxiety.
So, the next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, it is important to remember that as someone who is living with a Stone-Age brain, we are designed to pick up on threats. This means that the instinctual response of anxiety is not one that is trying to harm us, but it is our in-built fear system.
Although gaining a little more insight into our Stone-Age brains could be useful for some of us, everyone is different, and we would always recommend speaking to your GP if you are struggling.
Expert Opinion: Allan V. Horwitz
After completing a degree in Sociology from Yale University, professor Allan Horwitz has spent his career studying aspects of mental health. He has published over 100 journal articles and 12 books including, ‘Creating Mental Illness’.
Expert Opinion: David Lundberg-Kenrick
David Lundberg-Kenrick is currently the creative director of psychology at Arizona State University and author of the book ‘Solving Modern Problems with a Stone-Age Brain: Human Evolution and the Seven Fundamental Motives‘
Featured image: Adobe Stock
