Good Reasons for Bad Feelings

Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Specialties, Psychiatry, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Ailments & Diseases, Mental Health
Cover of the book Good Reasons for Bad Feelings by Randolph M. Nesse, MD, Penguin Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Randolph M. Nesse, MD ISBN: 9781101985687
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication: February 12, 2019
Imprint: Dutton Language: English
Author: Randolph M. Nesse, MD
ISBN: 9781101985687
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication: February 12, 2019
Imprint: Dutton
Language: English

A founder of the field of evolutionary medicine uses his decades of experience as a psychiatrist to provide a much-needed new framework for making sense of mental illness.

Why do I feel bad? There is real power in understanding our bad feelings. With his classic Why We Get Sick, Dr. Randolph Nesse helped to establish the field of evolutionary medicine. Now he returns with a book that transforms our understanding of mental disorders by exploring a fundamentally new question. Instead of asking why certain people suffer from mental illness, Nesse asks why natural selection has left us all with fragile minds.

Drawing on revealing stories from his own clinical practice and insights from evolutionary biology, Nesse shows how negative emotions are useful in certain situations, yet can become overwhelming. Anxiety protects us from harm in the face of danger, but false alarms are inevitable. Low moods prevent us from wasting effort in pursuit of unreachable goals, but they often escalate into pathological depression. Other mental disorders, such as addiction and anorexia, result from the mismatch between modern environment and our ancient human past. And there are good evolutionary reasons for sexual disorders and for why genes for schizophrenia persist. Taken together, these and many more insights help to explain the pervasiveness of human suffering, and show us new paths for relieving it by understanding individuals as individuals.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A founder of the field of evolutionary medicine uses his decades of experience as a psychiatrist to provide a much-needed new framework for making sense of mental illness.

Why do I feel bad? There is real power in understanding our bad feelings. With his classic Why We Get Sick, Dr. Randolph Nesse helped to establish the field of evolutionary medicine. Now he returns with a book that transforms our understanding of mental disorders by exploring a fundamentally new question. Instead of asking why certain people suffer from mental illness, Nesse asks why natural selection has left us all with fragile minds.

Drawing on revealing stories from his own clinical practice and insights from evolutionary biology, Nesse shows how negative emotions are useful in certain situations, yet can become overwhelming. Anxiety protects us from harm in the face of danger, but false alarms are inevitable. Low moods prevent us from wasting effort in pursuit of unreachable goals, but they often escalate into pathological depression. Other mental disorders, such as addiction and anorexia, result from the mismatch between modern environment and our ancient human past. And there are good evolutionary reasons for sexual disorders and for why genes for schizophrenia persist. Taken together, these and many more insights help to explain the pervasiveness of human suffering, and show us new paths for relieving it by understanding individuals as individuals.

More books from Penguin Publishing Group

Cover of the book Does Santa Exist? by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Long Stitch Good Night by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Snow Leopard by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Wedding Quilt by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Red Pony by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book Ghost Story by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book Man vs. Weather by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Mountain Man Cookbook by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Cat, The Collector and the Killer by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book Cookies and Clairvoyance by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book Archangel's Enigma by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book Dire Needs by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Sleep Solution by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Silent Army by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
Cover of the book The Trailsman #349 by Randolph M. Nesse, MD
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy