Evolutionary Mismatch, Stress, and Competition: Making Sense of Psychosocial Problems in the Polycrisis Era

The authors examine the psychosocial dimensions of the polycrisis through the concept of evolutionary mismatch, arguing that rapid technological, socioeconomic, and environmental changes expose humans to conditions that differ from those in which many psychological and behavioural adaptations evolved. They propose that interacting crises intensify these mismatches and associated stress, while modern conditions such as inequality, fragmented communities, and heightened status competition contribute to outcomes including anxiety, loneliness, hostility, and obsessive status pursuit. The authors introduce the social evolutionary mismatch and competition hypothesis to explain how these pressures amplify both real and perceived competition and reinforce wider psychosocial problems. They suggest that reducing specific sources of evolutionary mismatch, while preserving the benefits of modern systems, could complement existing approaches to improving well-being and addressing the polycrisis.