ELI5: Impact of evolutionary drives on your mind and body

ELI5 (Explain it to me like I'm 5): Evolutionary Awareness

Impact of evolutionary drives on your mind and body

To be "evolutionary aware" means: being aware of our human biological incentives and utilize them where beneficial.

Our human evolutionary drives are:

·   procreate
·   amass power
·   eat high calorie food
·   have friends
·    be respected
·   as a man: partner with young, fertile woman 
·    as a woman: partner with powerful man
·    as a child: be liked by parents

To be evolutionary aware does not necessarily mean to raise these evolutionary drives to your life’s highest maxim, but to use them like a sailing ship uses wind.


Politicians and voters sometimes forget to check if a politician got so power addicted (by his evolutionary drives) that he/she abuses their democratic powers to only increase their power instead of acting in the interest of voters.


Elected presidents, dictators and chancellors occasionally get so driven to amass power, that they start wars with foreign countries just for their own benefit, killing millions of humans in the process.

Evolutionary awareness thus can save lives.

Humans are affected by evolution like all animals

A fitting addition to this blog post is the video "The Faulty Walnut"by "The School of Life". It points out the counter intuitive ways that our brains (walnuts) work.