We Were Never Designed for This - Human Resource...
Transcript of We Were Never Designed for This - Human Resource...
We Were Never Designed
for This
The Psychological Toxicity of Modern Life
(And What We Can Do About It)
Stephen Ilardi, PhD
Humanity: A Timeline
1,800,000 BCE 10,000 BCE 1800
Hunter-Gatherer Agrarian Industrial
Environmental Mutation
• As in generic mutation, environmental mutation first and foremost recognizes that change is always occurring around us
• The source of this change can reflect shifts in public policy, culture, or technology
• This kind of mutation is
neither inherently good nor bad
Calibrated for Ancestral
Environment: Stress Response
• Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis
• Stress hormones (cortisol)
adaptive in short-term
• Chronic stress response is
toxic
Chronic Stress Response:
• Depressive Illness
• Brain Damage (Cortical, hippocampal)
• Cognitive Impairment
• Anxiety
• Sleep Disturbance (NREM/slow wave)
• Immune Dysregulation
• Inflammation (diabetes, asthma, etc.)
Modern Life and the
Runaway Stress Response
• Global village (news of tragedy, danger)
• Global village (social media)
• Interaction with strangers
• 24/7 connectivity (cell, internet)
• Relentless deadline pressure, competition
• And so on . . . (traffic, noise pollution, etc.)
The Chronic Stress Response:
Putting on the Brakes
1. Physical Activity
2. Omega-3 Fats
3. Microbiome (friendly microbes)
4. Sunlight
5. Social Connection
6. Healthy Sleep
7. Engaging (anti-ruminative) activity
Exercise Is Medicine
• Dopamine & serotonin signaling
• Antidepressant effect
• Anti-inflammatory
• Enhanced memory, cognitive function
• Anti-aging effects
Exercise Is Not Natural
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Two families of essential
fatty acids:
a. Omega-3 (ALA, EPA, DHA)
b. Omega-6 (LA, GLA, AA)
Both play a key role in brain
structure and function . . .
Omega-3 Effects on the Brain
• Enhanced signaling in
serotonergic & dopaminergic
pathways
• Anti-inflammatory
• Enhanced memory
• Neuroprotective
The Microbiome
• 100 trillion microbes live in the human body
• Evolved symbiotic relationship (win-win)
• Nutrient extraction, immune system, brain function
• Problems: antibiotics & processed food
• Unhealthy microbes anxiety, depression, inflammation
• Fix: probiotics, fermented foods, plant fiber
The Microbiome
Light Exposure
500 1000 2500 10,000400
No
lightOvercast Day
Circadian
Cue Clear Day
Lux
Low High
Indoor Light
Healthy Sleep:
The average number of hours
of sleep per night has
decreased from 9 to 6.7 hours
over the past century
(National Sleep Foundation, 2007)
Some Habits of Healthy Sleep:
1. Target 7-8 hours per night
2. Get up at same time every day
3. The bed is only for sleep, and vice versa.
4. No bright light/work within 1 hour of
bedtime
5. No caffeine/stimulants within 10 hours of bed
6. Need a tired body and quiet mind
The Dangers of Rumination
• A hallmark symptom of clinical depression and
anxiety
• It ramps up the brain’s stress response.
• Most likely to take place when we’re alone and
idle.
Social Support
• In hunter-gatherer societies,
it is virtually impossible to
survive without the support
of the entire group
• Today, ~1/2 of all
Americans have zero close
friends (Smith-Lovin, 2006)