Some while ago, I read an article that suggested that allergies might be the body's way of compensating for the fact that it no longer had enough enemies to fight: we have become so successful in eradicating or avoiding germs that cause diseases, that our body reacts by fighting things that are not a threat (pollen, spores, etc). I can't say for sure that this is true, but it seems likely, and it also made me think about other things our bodies are designed to do, but that we have less opportunity to do in modern society.
Physically, we are designed to fight or flee (that is what testosterone and adrenaline are for). But modern society only allows controlled outbursts of violence, in the form of sports, and provides a replacement for the occasional adrenaline rush that we used to get when being pursued by wild animals in the form of fairground attractions, horror stories and thrillers (but not detectives - they actually have a soothing effect) on the big and small screen.
Our bodies also invite us to procreate more than is good for us, and for many centuries (and especially during the industrial revolution, when the means of supporting a larger population increased dramatically and more recently and spectacularly during the baby boom), that is just what we did. By now the population density in the Western world is high enough to give pause, but our bodies are still sending the same message, so we replace procreational sex with its non-productive recreational counterpart.
There are also psychological aspects to consider, but here, I am on uncertain ground. I think (but have no proof) that our love affairs with cars and travel may at least in part be a remnant of our nomadic life-style, but I cannot imagine how that tendency is passed on from generation to generation. But then, I do not understand how Monarch butterflies know how to travel the thousands of miles back to a certain spot in Mexico - a trip that takes three generations to complete, meaning that not a single individual does the complete trip - either. One thing I am more sure of is that the ever-increasing complexity of modern life is at the root of our tendency to look for simple (and even simplistic) answers: the more complex life gets, the less we can control anything, and we don't like being out of control. That also explains the longing to go back to the simple, primitive life.
Physically, we are designed to fight or flee (that is what testosterone and adrenaline are for). But modern society only allows controlled outbursts of violence, in the form of sports, and provides a replacement for the occasional adrenaline rush that we used to get when being pursued by wild animals in the form of fairground attractions, horror stories and thrillers (but not detectives - they actually have a soothing effect) on the big and small screen.
Our bodies also invite us to procreate more than is good for us, and for many centuries (and especially during the industrial revolution, when the means of supporting a larger population increased dramatically and more recently and spectacularly during the baby boom), that is just what we did. By now the population density in the Western world is high enough to give pause, but our bodies are still sending the same message, so we replace procreational sex with its non-productive recreational counterpart.
There are also psychological aspects to consider, but here, I am on uncertain ground. I think (but have no proof) that our love affairs with cars and travel may at least in part be a remnant of our nomadic life-style, but I cannot imagine how that tendency is passed on from generation to generation. But then, I do not understand how Monarch butterflies know how to travel the thousands of miles back to a certain spot in Mexico - a trip that takes three generations to complete, meaning that not a single individual does the complete trip - either. One thing I am more sure of is that the ever-increasing complexity of modern life is at the root of our tendency to look for simple (and even simplistic) answers: the more complex life gets, the less we can control anything, and we don't like being out of control. That also explains the longing to go back to the simple, primitive life.
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