7 ms·

adhd folk are natural risk takers... so this result is unsurprising. One thing I've always wondered is how adhd folks didn't get selected out through their ris

adhd folk are natural risk takers... so this result is unsurprising. One thing I've always wondered is how adhd folks didn't get selected out through their risky behaviour. Their existence could certainly confer some group benefits - but I thought group selection was no longer well regarded in the evo biol community.

solve 11y ago
Acting like a p*ssy does not lead to reproductive success. I'd expect it to be more selected for, over time. Best relationship ever was with a ADHD risk-taking person. Would do again.
- Hobotron1 11y ago
  I feel likes there's a middle ground between acting like a 'pussy' and barreling headfirst into something. I mean, the guy who takes the time to make a spear and plan an attack is probably gonna live a better life than the dude that charges right into a slap-fight with a lion and the other dude cowering inside the cave.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
    - defenestrate 11y ago
      ...yeeeeeees, but both the genetic code and the brain can make associations over time.
      - deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]
dholowiski 11y ago
Because they only have to live long enough to reproduce. There are studies showing people with adhd have a much higher risk of accidental (and non accidental) death. Adhd is not a superpower. It's an incurable brain disorder. It fucking sucks.
- dmak 11y ago
  I don't like to view it as an disorder, because that says there is a correct way that your brain should function. I think it's just different. Viewing it disorder is self-defeating for people with ADHD, it's like saying they think there is something wrong with them at all times, but there really isn't. They just find different ways to do things.
  - baristaGeek 11y ago
    Exactly. It's just a difference in cognition.
    - falcolas 11y ago
      It is starting to aggravate me that every time we have articles like this come up that people keep trotting out the crap explanations of "it's just another way of thinking", because they saw it in some TED talk. No, it isn't. It's a fucking neurological disorder which affects dopamine production, which interferes with normal brain function. Imagine sitting down to work on something you really want to finish, but you can't. You're reading reddit instead, because that gives you a quick dose of entertainment. You keep yelling at yourself to do the work, because it's your job on the line. But no, you'll end up looking at cat pictures, because, hey, cats. That's what ADHD is like.
      - walterbell 11y ago
        Have you been to an ADD conference where you are surrounded by hundreds of similarly-wired brains? Neurotypical is defined by the local majority. In a hunter-gatherer society, slow reaction time means no dinner. Don't be fooled by labels which originate in specific social contexts. Environmental impedance mismatches can be addressed by changing the human or changing the environment.
        colechristensen 11y ago
        What are these conferences?
falcolas 11y ago
Want to know why they're risk takers? Lack of ability to form long temporal associations. When you have trouble connecting effect to action when separated by more than a few hours, it's hard to realistically identify risk. From personal experience, it's easy to spend money when you don't associate how it will impact your ability to pay rent in 15 days.
- jotm 11y ago
  What you're describing seems like a bias towards event based (vs time based) memory. I always wondered whether the former is predominant in people with ADHD... And interestingly computers/smartphones allow us to easily turn the latter into the former.
  - walterbell 11y ago
    Tulving has coined the term "episodic memory" based on his research with an amnesiac, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endel_Tulving http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endel_Tulving: "Tulving's research has emphasized the importance of episodic memory for our experience of consciousness and our understanding of time. For example, he conducted studies with the amnesic patient KC, who had relatively normal semantic memory but severely impaired episodic memory due to brain damage from a motorcycle accident. Tulving's work with KC highlighted the central importance of episodic memory for the subjective experience of one's self in time, an ability he dubbed "autonoetic consciousness." KC lacked this ability, failing to remember prior events and also failing to imagine or plan for the future." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episodic_memory http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episodic_memory
derefr 11y ago
Possibly because they just breed more. Women with ADHD suffer more unplanned pregnancy. Men with ADHD use protection less often. Both are more promiscuous.

solve 11y ago

Acting like a p*ssy does not lead to reproductive success. I'd expect it to be more selected for, over time. Best relationship ever was with a ADHD risk-taking person. Would do again.

Hobotron1 11y ago
I feel likes there's a middle ground between acting like a 'pussy' and barreling headfirst into something. I mean, the guy who takes the time to make a spear and plan an attack is probably gonna live a better life than the dude that charges right into a slap-fight with a lion and the other dude cowering inside the cave.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
  - defenestrate 11y ago
    ...yeeeeeees, but both the genetic code and the brain can make associations over time.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]

dholowiski 11y ago

Because they only have to live long enough to reproduce. There are studies showing people with adhd have a much higher risk of accidental (and non accidental) death. Adhd is not a superpower. It's an incurable brain disorder. It fucking sucks.

dmak 11y ago
I don't like to view it as an disorder, because that says there is a correct way that your brain should function. I think it's just different. Viewing it disorder is self-defeating for people with ADHD, it's like saying they think there is something wrong with them at all times, but there really isn't. They just find different ways to do things.
- baristaGeek 11y ago
  Exactly. It's just a difference in cognition.
  - falcolas 11y ago
    It is starting to aggravate me that every time we have articles like this come up that people keep trotting out the crap explanations of "it's just another way of thinking", because they saw it in some TED talk. No, it isn't. It's a fucking neurological disorder which affects dopamine production, which interferes with normal brain function. Imagine sitting down to work on something you really want to finish, but you can't. You're reading reddit instead, because that gives you a quick dose of entertainment. You keep yelling at yourself to do the work, because it's your job on the line. But no, you'll end up looking at cat pictures, because, hey, cats. That's what ADHD is like.
    - walterbell 11y ago
      Have you been to an ADD conference where you are surrounded by hundreds of similarly-wired brains? Neurotypical is defined by the local majority. In a hunter-gatherer society, slow reaction time means no dinner. Don't be fooled by labels which originate in specific social contexts. Environmental impedance mismatches can be addressed by changing the human or changing the environment.
      - colechristensen 11y ago
        What are these conferences?

falcolas 11y ago

Want to know why they're risk takers? Lack of ability to form long temporal associations. When you have trouble connecting effect to action when separated by more than a few hours, it's hard to realistically identify risk. From personal experience, it's easy to spend money when you don't associate how it will impact your ability to pay rent in 15 days.

jotm 11y ago
What you're describing seems like a bias towards event based (vs time based) memory. I always wondered whether the former is predominant in people with ADHD... And interestingly computers/smartphones allow us to easily turn the latter into the former.
- walterbell 11y ago
  Tulving has coined the term "episodic memory" based on his research with an amnesiac, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endel_Tulving http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endel_Tulving: "Tulving's research has emphasized the importance of episodic memory for our experience of consciousness and our understanding of time. For example, he conducted studies with the amnesic patient KC, who had relatively normal semantic memory but severely impaired episodic memory due to brain damage from a motorcycle accident. Tulving's work with KC highlighted the central importance of episodic memory for the subjective experience of one's self in time, an ability he dubbed "autonoetic consciousness." KC lacked this ability, failing to remember prior events and also failing to imagine or plan for the future." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episodic_memory http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episodic_memory

derefr 11y ago

Possibly because they just breed more. Women with ADHD suffer more unplanned pregnancy. Men with ADHD use protection less often. Both are more promiscuous.