Good Reason for Bad Feelings by Randolph Nesse. A new look at mental disorders. The recognizable psychiatrist provides a necessary new evolutionary framework for understanding mental illness. Instead of wondering why some people suffer from mental illnesses, Nesse explores why natural selection has left us with sensitive minds.

Through revealing stories from his clinical practice and insights from evolutionary biology, Nesse shows how negative emotions are useful in specific situations but can become excessive. Our anxiety protects us from danger, but false alarms are inevitable. Low mood prevents us from wasting energy on unattainable goals but often escalates into pathological depression. Other mental disorders, such as addiction and anorexia, arise from the mismatch between modern environments and the ancient human past.

The insights that emerge from this work help in understanding the causes of human suffering and offer new pathways for its relief. It will fascinate anyone wondering how our memories can be so strong yet so fragile, and how love and kindness could exist in organisms designed to maximize Darwinian fitness.

Pages: 384, Dimensions: 13x13cm