Question:
Any ideas on why, from an evolutionary point of view, stress
causes cell damage?
Answer:
Well, a significant percentage of people who have manic depressive
illness also have an underlying exuberant temperament. But most
people who are exuberant do not have manic depressive illness. So
exuberance is far from a pathological state for most people who have
it - it is a highly valued and integral part of who they are. And if
you understand the role of exuberance in manic depression then you do
get a perspective on exuberance because extremes in behaviour will
always illuminate normal behaviour. It's just that there are limits
to the comparisons.
It looks like a counter-productive mutation, but not
bad enough to curb human reproductive efficiency.
Perhaps the cellular will to live is connected with the
satisfaction of living.
If the telomere theory of aging is true, then other mammals,
most of whom are short lived, must have a genetic deficiency
of telomeres. Most all of the plant and animal kingdoms are
relatively short lived. Maybe humans have an mutational
excess of telomeres to begin with.
Humans also have a greatly extended infancy-adolescence
(18-20 years) before adulthood, compared with any other animal,
most of which don't even live that long.
Cancer cells are virtually immortal, although they proliferate at
the expense of our other machinery. Maybe we'll find a way
in future to live forever as shapeless many armed and legged,
two headed cancerous blobs.
Emotional stress means misthinking, i.e wrong use of the brain organ
which is the case when thinking about stress from an evolutionary
point of view.
When you say 'stress is tough' are you saying:
1. Tough circumstances make us feel we are having a stressful time.
2. Stressful circumstances make us feel we are having a tough time.
