We evolved to expect feedback from faces, not screens. The nervous system still measures safety by eye contact, tone, and shared rhythm. A thousand “likes” can’t replace a single nod across a table. At least, not until we are all safely encultured in the coming AI-linked bodysuits :)

Anxiety isn’t always over-reaction. Sometimes it’s under-stimulation: the body looking for cues it no longer finds. Subtle sensory change—light, sound, air—can quiet the search. Not in the more extreme cases, of course, but a lit incense stick and an open window does wonders for me, personally.

We often chase efficiency by standardising roles. Yet human systems, like natural ones, depend on redundancy — overlapping skills, divergent styles. Resilience; adaptation to changing environments [and the environment is always changing] often hides in the inefficiencies we prune away.

A brain evolved to track rustling leaves still tries to track rustling tabs. It’s doing its best. But the design brief was different.

My first paper, out in PsychReview!! Along with @orbenamy.bsky.social, Nik & @jaeggiadrian.bsky.social, @realadamhunt.bsky.social & I revisit an old theoretical question using concepts from evo psychiatry and anthro: Why do mixed associations exist b/w social media & mental health? A 🧵

Every organisation is an ecosystem of specialisations. This isn't just theoretical - it's a reality inherent to all complex systems. Perhaps, then, the question isn’t necessarily “who fits our culture?” but “what niche are we failing to create?”

"Neurodivergent individuals represent an estimated 15-20% of the global population, yet they continue to face significant barriers to workplace inclusion....reduces reliance on disclosure by implementing universal support, while also fostering a culture that makes voluntary disclosure safe."

A new systematic review (April 2025) of neurodiversity in computing education highlights that many interventions lack empirical support... "Most papers provided curricular recommendations that lacked empirical evidence to support those recommendations."

A recent review (19 Aug 2025) suggests 'grouping anxiety disorders into broader categories – namely, fear-dominant, mixed, and anxiety-dominant'. Plausible that evolutionary analysis of those distinct categories would be useful.

A new scoping review finds that trust, social identification, communication, incentives and norms are key levers in group cooperation across commons and organisations. Interesting stuff - link in thread.

"The ‘I’ in Egalitarianism: Hadza Hunter-Gatherers Averse to Inequality Primarily when Personally Unfavourable" finds interesting patterns about inequality aversion in small-scale societies - basically, they're selfish too! Norms are needed to keep selfishness in check...

Coalition instincts are double-edged: they bind teams but can create silos. The solution isn’t to eliminate group identity - rather, it’s to build nested loyalties: project, team, organisation. Hierarchies of belonging mirror the social scaffolds humans evolved with - family, extended family, tribe.

Teaching and learning from others is the critical human skill. We are motivated through the impressions we leave on others in our peer group. Education that reintroduces imitation and small-group practice reconnects students with evolved incentives.

Smartphones are critical to modern working life, we can hardly do without them - nor should we. But our attention systems evolved to be too sensitive to microscopic interruptions.

"...Late chronotypes had a 7 % lower depression risk per extra hour of daylight exposure..." A longitudinal study shows that daylight exposure is linked to lower depression scores - independent of exercise and social contact, at least in "night owls" (late chronotypes.)

A recent mapping review recommends that managing neurodiversity in work settings should emphasise systemic structure, not only individual accommodations. In mismatch terms, the structure should adapt to varied cognitive niches, not expect uniform minds.

A large new survey finds misconceptions of ADHD and autism among corporate employees, even when awareness is high. Interesting to wonder how much hinges on simplistic 'broken brain' explanatory models

Why is everyone so 'Anxious?' One potential answer, hugely overlooked, is simply that our brains evolved to be hypersensitive to tiny social threats—slight status shifts, non-verbal signals. In today’s large but flattened hierarchies, many social feedback loops feel ambiguous!

A call came out for a “biology‑informed” framework for mental disorders that weaves in genetics, behaviour, and systems. Biology has informed psychiatry for decades! Whats missing is reference to the evolutionary theory that helps us understand biology!!

A recent Frontiers In Psychology article introduces what they term "Neurocognitive Mismatch Theory," suggesting that environments low in movement, sensory variety, or natural stimuli amplify functional impairment in ADHD and autism. The findings point toward designing settings that diminish mismatch

Interesting new article in Frontiers - exploring affective versus predatory violence in terms of evolutionary adaptation (24 Sep 2025). They claim that this distinction matters not only in forensic settings but in organisational threat assessment and structured conflict resolution.

Recent arXiv study: “Portable Silent Room” prototypes for neurodivergent women and non‑binary people show that VR environments tailored to sensory regulation can reduce anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Designing for intersectional needs matters more than many suspect! arxiv.org/abs/2508.18591

EY’s Global Neuroinclusion at Work Study 2025 reveals only ~25% of neurodivergent professionals feel “truly included” in their workplace, even as many report proficiency in high-growth skills when inclusion is present. Suggests inclusion is a strong performance lever. www.ey.com/content/dam/...

Children with ADHD differ not just in how often they check the time but how strategically they monitor time in everyday‑tasks (aged 9‑13) when using a naturalistic VR task. Possible that training strategic monitoring will improve school performance. Link: buff.ly/KsoBoF1

A new preprint finds that “body doubling” (human or AI) in virtual reality helps adults with ADHD finish construction tasks faster and maintain attention (15 Sep 2025). Suggests social scaffolding could reduce mismatch in high‑demand jobs. Intriguing Stuff. Link: buff.ly/i3j4rRc

A study published this month surveys autistic doctors internationally: language preferences (‘identity‑first’ vs ‘person‑first’) correlate with views of autism as disorder vs difference, which in turn correlate with experience of distress. Link: buff.ly/zSPnDsK

Research finds that many young children suspected of autism are later diagnosed with ADHD as they grow older; ADHD traits may have been present but under‑detected early. This suggests early screening with flexible observation, and avoiding fixed labelling too early. Link: buff.ly/CvXM5rg

Quick research‑update: a study published 2 weeks ago introduces Tether, an LLM‑powered desktop assistant to help software engineers with ADHD manage task initiation, self‑regulation and attention in real‑time. Could these tools reduce mismatch in job design?

🎉New pre-print!🎉 “Our findings represent the most robust evidence to date that evolutionary psychiatry offers normalising causal stories with various positive effects, in this case by casting anxiety as a calibrated defence system that can overshoot in contemporary contexts."

Tim Ingold argues for mental health practice rooted in presence, responsiveness and kinship rather than detached professional distance. "we seek ways to shift from models that distance and obscure mental health phenomena and practices as objects of study."

A King’s College London review reveals nearly 90% of middle‑aged and older autistic adults in the UK remain undiagnosed, underlining the need for lifespan‑focused diagnostic services

ADHD @ Work: Practical strategies like structured to‑do lists, body‑doubling, AI task aids, and flexible schedules are increasingly used to support focus and creativity in professional settings. buff.ly/LgHUC7D

Ensuring Neurodiverse children thrive in education: a new preprint identifies 18 success factors—ranging from inclusive teaching practices to structured tools—for autistic students in software engineering education. Unlocking talent! buff.ly/xAYrpYN

Update: some interesting new research reframes ADHD and autism as context‑sensitive neurodevelopmental variants shaped by sociobiological mismatch with modern work cultures (Frontiers in Psychology, July 2025). buff.ly/cRb54dY

Last chance to sign up join us this August 31st in Cambridge for lively debate on evolutionary psychiatry! Debates on depression, research, practise. Panels interspersed with pizza and coffee. Sure to be fascinating! www.femh.uk/activities/e...

Still a week left to sign up for the evolutionary psychiatry debate day in Cambridge - the best opportunity of this year to meet up with others interested in the field! Discussing key topics of depression and the future of the field www.femh.uk/activities/e...

Meagre financial handouts for neurodivergent individuals probably aren't the best option for support and maximising their long term potential. A better (cough evolution cough) informed system could do a more nuanced job at helping people integrate into classrooms and workplaces!

ADHD is in the media a lot recently. Complaints about excessive support, too easy diagnosis. Ignoring the fraudsters, a lot of people do struggle with modernity (understandably, we weren't built for this!) and supporting our individual differences to maximise our potential does make sense

This summer, August 31st, we are hosting an evolutionary psychiatry debate in Cambridge. Experts discussing whether depression is functional and whether evolutionary perspectives are more important in research or the clinic. Audience participation possible. Join us! www.femh.uk/activities/e...

Humans evolved as long distance runners... But this was another level. Last weekend I crewed one of my best friends as he ran 100 miles, up and down hills on the South Downs, in 26 hours and 45 minutes. An incredible achievement. Honored to be there for the journey!

Tinbergen's Four Questions - A recursive stack of explanations that from near-mode to far-mode causality. From the 'Physical Mechanism' underlying the behaviour, to what the fitness value of a behaviour was from the concrete to the abstract.

Every day I receive an email from 'The Transmitter', sponsored by 'Spectrum' and funded by the Simons Foundation - originally tasked with better understanding autism... I get that it's cool science but.... this research has never really helped anyone right?

From enhanced risk-taking in ADHD to the social deception strategies of psychopathy, each row in the table shows a proposed “trade-off.” While these traits can lead to impairment, they may also reflect specialized abilities that, under certain ecological or social conditions, conferred an edge

Homo Sapiens have a very rare ability to obtain calories from decaying fruit. Our appreciation for alcohol being a happy-side effect of this trait, then co-opted for socialising

The evolutionary origins of mental health issues cannot be understood purely in terms of dysfunction. Many psychological traits represent adaptive trade-offs or by-products. Billions have been spent on simple dysfunction chasing have been wasted!

Personality traits and psychopathological traits share foundational characteristics—like moderate heritability and early onset, on dimensional spectrums—yet are investigated through distinct research traditions.

From enhanced risk-taking in ADHD to the social deception strategies of psychopathy, each row in the table shows a proposed “trade-off.”

The modern mental health crisis is not only about dysfunction, but about disorientation. Evolution shaped minds for nested belonging. Ancestral minds expected context—ritual, role, rhythm. Inter-dependency in relationships. Remove those, and alienation, struggles, are predictable.

Personality traits and psychopathological traits share foundational characteristics—like moderate heritability and early onset, on dimensional spectrums—yet are investigated through distinct research traditions.

Darwin's insights are genius and simple - and apply to larger systems, societies, businesses, etc. The generalised process of variation and differential success in replication isn't just relevant to the passing on of genes. It defined our world.