4 ms·
Could stress turning hair white actually be an evolutionary adaptation that provides an advantage to stressed people? Perhaps white hair is associated with matu
by catalogia 7y ago
Could stress turning hair white actually be an evolutionary adaptation that provides an advantage to stressed people? Perhaps white hair is associated with maturity, and the appearance of maturity might confer social advantages to somebody who's being stressed (younger people might be more willing to assist them?)
- memling 7y agoif advantage is associated primarily with reproductive fitness it seems unlikely, at least as a direct cause.
- warlog 7y agoMaybe. It's always good to play the game of asking whether such a signal is honest? ...why not just be unstressed and get white hair if it garners attention and help? Which demands thinking in terms of tradeoffs ... What is the cost of premature white hair? Etc etc etc
- banads 7y agoThis seems more maladaptive, since its talking about the depletion of stem cells.
- user982 7y agoPigmentation costs energy, which could be better apportioned toward stopping whatever is stressing the animal.
- oh_sigh 7y agoIt seems more likely that white hair is neither advantageous nor disadvantageous, and so there is no pressure to make the stress response not mess up pigment producing cells.