Key points

Social competition shaped behaviors that still influence human emotional health.

Depression may reflect evolved signals of submission in competitive social settings.

Modern life amplifies social comparison, triggering deep feelings of inadequacy.

Recognizing these evolutionary roots can help reduce depression’s impact today.

When we think about where psychological disorders come from, we often hear about genetic evolution. This usually leads to explanations that focus on inherited biological factors. But for many human experiences, especially clinical depression , social evolution offers a much more useful lens.

A simple way to think about the difference is this. Genetic evolution built the basic machinery of human behavior. It gave us drives, instincts, and emotional re

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