--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For all we know, our ancestors may have…" description: "\"“For all we know, our ancestors may have had better reproductive success not because they were smart, but because they were emotionally sensitive, dyna..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/meredith-f-small-89499_evolutionary_for-all-we-know-our-ancestors-may-have-h_2988141.jpg" --- # For all we know, our ancestors may have had better… ![“For all we know, our ancestors may have had better reproductive success not because they were smart, but because they were emotionally sensitive, dynamically moody, and ridden with anxiety. In other words, it makes sense to hold up an evolutionary lens to mental disorders because they might not be…” quote by Meredith F. Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/meredith-f-small-89499_evolutionary_for-all-we-know-our-ancestors-may-have-h_2988141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/meredith-f-small-89499_evolutionary_for-all-we-know-our-ancestors-may-have-h_2988141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/meredith-f-small-89499_evolutionary_for-all-we-know-our-ancestors-may-have-h_2988141.jpg) > ““For all we know, our ancestors may have had better reproductive success not because they were smart, but because they were emotionally sensitive, dynamically moody, and ridden with anxiety. In other words, it makes sense to hold up an evolutionary lens to mental disorders because they might not be disorders at all, but adaptations.”” [Meredith F. Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-f-small/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evolutionary perspective suggests mental traits once advantageous may now appear disordered. **In simple terms:** Sensitive traits may be adaptations, not flaws. Key Takeaway Consider mental traits as possible adaptations. Themes evolution mental health adaptation ancestry reproductive success Mood reflective inquisitive Type Evolutionary:1 Mental disorder:1 Success:0 Ancestors Better:0 Reproductive Success:0 Disorders Adaptations:1 Better Reproductive:0 When to use this quote - clinical evaluation - historical analysis - genetic research - public health policy Key Concepts evolutionary psychology adaptive traits psychiatry Questions to Reflect On - How might we differentiate adaptation from pathology? - What evidence supports evolutionary benefits of anxiety? A Different Perspective Evolutionary explanations may oversimplify complex social factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestors Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors-better-972586/) [Better Reproductive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-reproductive-4681941/) [Disorders Adaptations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorders-adaptations-4681940/) [Evolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionary/) [Mental disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorder/) [Reproductive Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproductive-success-3912321/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [I'd always wanted to believe that my ancestors were better people than they probably were. - Princess Emma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-baker/i-d-always-wanted-to-believe-that-my-ancestors-were-better-people/) [E.D. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-d-baker/) > [We came to America, either ourselves or in the persons of our ancestors, to better the ideals of men, to make them see finer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/we-came-to-america-either-ourselves-or-in-the-persons-of-our/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Natural selection may lead to benefits for species, but these 'higher' advantages can only arise as sequelae, or side consequences, of natural selection's causal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/natural-selection-may-lead-to-benefits-for-species-but-these-higher/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Natural selection involves no plan, no goal, and no direction — just genes increasing and decreasing in frequency depending on whether individuals with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/natural-selection-involves-no-plan-no-goal-and-no-direction-just/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [If any value is deeply evolutionarily familiar, it is reproductive success. If any value is truly unnatural, if there is one thing that humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoshi-kanazawa/if-any-value-is-deeply-evolutionarily-familiar-it-is-reproductive/) [Satoshi Kanazawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoshi-kanazawa/) > [Evolution acts slowly. Our psychological characteristics today are those that promoted reproductive success in the ancestral environmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-henson/evolution-acts-slowly-our-psychological-characteristics-today-are/) [Keith Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-henson/) > [“People are not controlled by some internal calculator that crudely motivates them to maximize their reproductive success. Instead, people form deep, lifelong emotional attachments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/people-are-not-controlled-by-some-internal-calculator-that-crudely/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [Action leads to Attention. that in the short-term releases Rewarding brain chemicals and in the long term improves reproductive success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-henson/action-leads-to-attention-that-in-the-short-term-releases-rewarding/) [Keith Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-henson/) > [Creativity is the evolutionary impulse in the Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/creativity-is-the-evolutionary-impulse-in-the-universe/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Evolutionary biology is now uttering and seeking those forces that link us with all those that have being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-forsyth/evolutionary-biology-is-now-uttering-and-seeking-those-forces-that/) [Adrian Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-forsyth/) > [From an evolutionary standpoint you can't just wipe everything out and start over, and I don't think you can do it in the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/from-an-evolutionary-standpoint-you-can-t-just-wipe-everything-out/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [From the day I got out, it was an evolutionary process. I was sick for, like, two years - that's the best way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-wright-jr/from-the-day-i-got-out-it-was-an-evolutionary-process-i-was-sick-for/) [Isaac Wright Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-wright-jr/) > [Almost all change is evolutionary, not revolutionary... expectations always travel at higher speeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naisbitt/almost-all-change-is-evolutionary-not-revolutionary-expectations/) [John Naisbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naisbitt/) > [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) ## More by Meredith F. Small > [“Perhaps periods of anxiety, sadness, panic, and sheer craziness are just part of the mental continuum that nature has provided to help us stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-f-small/perhaps-periods-of-anxiety-sadness-panic-and-sheer-craziness-are-just/) [Meredith F. Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-f-small/) [Explore all 2 Meredith F. Small quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-f-small/) ## More Evolutionary quotes > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [Almost all change is evolutionary, not revolutionary... expectations always travel at higher speeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naisbitt/almost-all-change-is-evolutionary-not-revolutionary-expectations/) [John Naisbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naisbitt/) > [From the day I got out, it was an evolutionary process. I was sick for, like, two years - that's the best way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-wright-jr/from-the-day-i-got-out-it-was-an-evolutionary-process-i-was-sick-for/) [Isaac Wright Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-wright-jr/) > [From an evolutionary standpoint you can't just wipe everything out and start over, and I don't think you can do it in the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/from-an-evolutionary-standpoint-you-can-t-just-wipe-everything-out/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Evolutionary biology is now uttering and seeking those forces that link us with all those that have being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-forsyth/evolutionary-biology-is-now-uttering-and-seeking-those-forces-that/) [Adrian Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-forsyth/) > [Creativity is the evolutionary impulse in the Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/creativity-is-the-evolutionary-impulse-in-the-universe/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Innovation is an evolutionary process, so it's not necessary to be radical all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/innovation-is-an-evolutionary-process-so-it-s-not-necessary-to-be/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [The trick is: how do you talk about natural selection without implying the rigidity of law? We use it as almost an active participant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/the-trick-is-how-do-you-talk-about-natural-selection-without-implying/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [You don't just magically flip some evolutionary switch somewhere and transmute a quadruped into an upright-walking bipedal human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/you-don-t-just-magically-flip-some-evolutionary-switch-somewhere-and/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [“In science's pecking order, evolutionary biology lurks somewhere near the bottom, far closer to phrenology than to physics. For evolutionary biology is a historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-science-s-pecking-order-evolutionary-biology-lurks-somewhere-near/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [I thought I was a revolutionary and was only an evolutionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/i-thought-i-was-a-revolutionary-and-was-only-an-evolutionary/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [Evolutionary biologists are not content merely to explain how variation occurs within limits, however. They aspire to answer a much broader question-which is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-e-johnson/evolutionary-biologists-are-not-content-merely-to-explain-how/) [Phillip E. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-e-johnson/) > [I have a theory that evolutionary biologists are more vain than particle physicists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/i-have-a-theory-that-evolutionary-biologists-are-more-vain-than/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [If sleep does not provide a remarkable set of benefits, then it's the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-sleep-does-not-provide-a-remarkable-set-of-benefits-then-it-s-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) [Browse all 135 Evolutionary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For all we know, our ancestors may have had better reproductive success not because they were smart, but because they were emotionally sensitive, dynamically moody, and ridden with anxiety. 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