Singapore Social Scientists Link 200 Years of Change to Anxiety, Obesity and Evolutionary Mismatch
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 20
Singapore Social Scientists Link 200 Years of Change to Anxiety, Obesity and Evolutionary Mismatch
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 20
Summary
A new Behavioral Sciences paper argues modern life has changed too fast for human bodies and minds, tying an “evolutionary mismatch” to problems including anxiety, loneliness, stress and obesity.
The researchers say humans evolved for small, familiar groups and immediate threats, but now face vast social networks, constant digital comparison and overlapping pressures that make competition feel continuous.
They frame climate change, pandemics, economic instability and AI disruption as a reinforcing “polycrisis,” with rising living costs and inequality feeding burnout, insecurity and weaker prosocial behavior.
The team calls the idea the Social Evolutionary Mismatch and Competition Hypothesis, or SEMCH, and says it could guide city and digital design toward greener, less crowded, less competitive environments.
Next, the researchers want real-world tests of how environments shape well-being, aiming for interventions that work with evolved human nature rather than against it.