This might sound very strange, but all the comforts that the progress of the twenty-first century have given us, are actually making us progressively weaker and more unhappy. For centuries, our ancestors lived in uncertain conditions, at the mercy of the elements, without safety nets or sufficient food. By comparison, nowadays, our lifestyles are totally different. We no longer live in makeshift camps with open fires, hunting and foraging for food, with no idea where our next meal is coming from. We no longer experience intense cold or heat thanks to the invention of central heating and air conditioning. We no longer have to defend ourselves from predators, or walk miles to get water and food. Lunch or dinner is now just a few clicks away; we don't even have to talk to anyone to order it! Let’s not forget our ancestors pushed their bodies to the limit, walking miles every day, while lugging around weights that we wouldn’t even consider picking up!
During those rare moments when they weren’t on the move, without any form of entertainment, our ancestors would have been able to experience real boredom, which would have helped them develop their imaginations, and build strong social networks. Disease, famine, infection, and injury would have been the cause of certain death. Basically, life was very simple, and most of the challenges people faced were a matter of life or death, which meant people’s needs were much more basic than those we have today. People didn’t worry about the future because they didn’t even know whether they would survive to the next day.
Although the environment we humans live in has radically changed, our brain function has not altered very much since we were hunter gatherers; and it is precisely this divergence that has led us to be less happy and less healthy than before.
Currently, 32% of Americans are overweight, while another 38% of them are clinically obese. Heart disease is among the leading causes of death in the Western world. Such conditions were not widespread until the 20th century. As well as experiencing a broad range of physical problems, modern humans also come up against many psychological ones, such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and even suicide. These conditions are all side effects of the comforts of modern life. Becoming comfortable has resulted in us missing out on profound human experiences. Life has become too easy. Most twenty-first century citizens don’t do any physical work, they have less opportunities for social connection, spend very little time in nature, and very rarely get bored! We have been numbed by vices, by comfort food, by TV, and by smartphones.
