Join us at the Evolutionary Psychiatry Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists Annual General Meeting on 6 September at 2:30pm and have your say on our future plans. Email Catriona on [email protected] Derek Tracy Agnes Ayton 💙 Adam Hunt

I conducted the study to look for evolutionary functions of grief, expecting to find problems in individuals who did not experience grief. But they had no special problems before or after the loss. Grief varies a lot in normal people. @robertwilbin randolphnesse.com/articles/grief

Evolution may favour consistent personality types across a lifespan because it makes co-operation between individuals easier - we can build profiles of each other! Specialisation (e.g. variance in personalities) between individuals may then evolve to fill niches & interact

this promises to be interesting...

Like genes, neurotransmitters, organs, and emotions, proteins serve functions. But looking for THE function fosters tacit creationism & a distorted view of evolved organisms as if they were designed machines. Arvid Ågren prof. Robot Sapolsky Guru Madhavan sites.google.com/site/randolphn…

We want evolutionary explanations which fit single, simple functional stories. Really, traits can be functional in all sorts of different ways, over different generations. There is no single function of 'sadness', 'jealousy', even 'lactase persistence'! (See my PhD 2nd chap🧵)

Humans seem uniquely able, among animals, to 'consciously' notice and reward useful abilities in others. Animals may evolve mutually beneficial strategies, but humans seem to have the ability to select for them w/o requiring 'genetic updates'

The 6th International Evolutionary Psychiatry symposium of the Royal C Psychiatrists held in London on 22 November with a stellar lineup of speakers reg link & prog email.rcpsych.ac.uk/cr/AQil4woQ2PK… Derek Tracy Adam Hunt Agnes Ayton 💙 Royal College of Psychiatrists Muzaffer Kaser Reem Abed C A Soper

The latest in our clinical case series exploring evolutionary approaches to mental health problems #Evolution #Psychiatry Riadh Abed Randy Nesse Gurjot Brar Adam Hunt Reem Abed Agnes Ayton 💙 Derek Tracy College of Psychiatrists of Ireland Royal College of Psychiatrists open.substack.com/pub/epsig/p/an…

It’s high time the field of psychedelic research move beyond the mystical experience construct (MEQ). While many critiques of the measure rest on misconceptions, persistent misunderstandings & psychometric limitations lead us to recommend transcending it.

Accurate articulation of the misaligned incentives in clinical research NHS priority - treat patients / reduce waiting lists University priority - minimise institutional risk / secure financial future Neither sector incentivised to get clinical research off the ground

Excellent letter in The Irish Times on mental health and social exclusion by Professor Brendan Kelly Trinity College Dublin

New evolutionary psychiatry video resources now on YouTube! A two day pre-meeting for #ISEMPH2024 with discussions on depression, hunter-gatherers, and what evolution means to psychiatry. Robin Dunbar, Daniel Nettle Randy Nesse speaking, among others! youtube.com/playlist?list=…

Interested in evolutionary psychiatry? Great new resources.

Thank you Adam! A great additional free educational resource for evolutionists worldwide! Please share widely Derek Tracy Henry O'Connell Gurjot Brar C A Soper Simon Baron-Cohen Muzaffer Kaser Laith Al-Shawaf ليث الشواف Femi Oyebode Geoff Lawrence-Smith

Evolutionary explanations for morality and committed relationships are a huge advance. Are they useful for psychiatry? I share my hopes and hesitations in this 30 min. video. Thanks to Adam Hunt Riadh Abed ISEMPH HBES youtu.be/gVJ88CTMQbQ?si…

The sharing of information enabled by language have placed humans in the unique 'cognitive niche': our ability to feed ourselves depends far more on our use of intelligence, our reasoning, and the cultural abilities passed on, than any raw physical ability.

Link to the 36th Newsletter of the Evolutionary Psychiatry Group at RCPSYCH featuring an article, conference report and details of our forthcoming 6th International EP symposium. Check it out & share with colleagues rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-s… Derek Tracy Henry O'Connell Femi Oyebode

Our EEA (Environment of Evolutionary Adaptiveness) differs a lot from our current environment. Evolution causes adaptive changes, but is constantly 'catching up' to environmental changes - hence the idea that many mental health issues arise through this 'mismatch' to modernity

We are honoured to have Alfonso Troisi, a founder of #Evolutionary #Psychiatry coming to Portlaoise on October 4th - attendance free and spread the word! College of Psychiatrists of Ireland Royal College of Psychiatrists Gurjot Brar Riadh Abed Randy Nesse Derek Tracy Adam Hunt