Two researchers, Colin Shaw and Daniel Longman, recently highlighted a crucial point in their analysis: the world is changing far faster than human biology can adapt—and this mismatch is seriously damaging our health.
Kabul 24 – They explain that the human body evolved over hundreds of thousands of years for a life of constant movement, direct contact with nature, and short, intense bursts of stress—not the relentless, low-grade pressure of modern life combined with endless sitting and non-stop stimulation.
Recent studies show that industrialized environments keep our stress systems permanently activated, wearing down both physical health and reproductive capacity.
Just look at two glaring signs: the global collapse in fertility rates and the explosion of chronic inflammatory diseases.
Both paint a clear picture of this profound biological mismatch.Evolutionary Roots vs. Industrial RealityFor hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. That lifestyle had a few key features:Near-constant physical activity throughout the day
Intense but brief stressors (a predator attack, sudden food shortage)
Constant immersion in nature—daylight, fresh air, natural landscapes
Yet in just a few centuries, industrialization has completely upended those conditions: noise and light pollution, microplastics, pesticides, artificial light, ultra-processed food, and prolonged sitting—none of which our bodies were designed to handle.
The Lion Paradox and Chronic StressOne of the central ideas in Shaw and Longman’s analysis is the difference between ancestral stress and modern stress.
In the ancient environment, we evolved to handle acute stress—like a lion charging at you. The lion attacks (or doesn’t), you fight or flee, and then… the lion leaves. Stress over. Recovery begins.But today?
Modern stressors—traffic jams, work deadlines, social media notifications, constant city noise, financial pressure (and in our part of the world: inflation, currency crashes, pollution, and a hundred other things)—activate exactly the same biological pathways that once helped us escape predators.Your nervous system treats every one of these as if it’s a lion.The critical difference: the lion never leaves anymore.
There’s no recovery period. It’s an endless queue of lions, all waiting to take a bite.In other words, a stress-response system built for short, sharp shocks is now being crushed under constant, grinding pressure.The result? Chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and total physical and mental burnout.
Ali-Asghar Honarmand
