Mental Problems Gave Early Humans an Edge

Mental Problems Gave Early Humans an Edge

Penny Spikins at the University of York believes that mental illness and conditions such as autism persist at such high levels because in the past they were advantageous to humanity. “I think that part of the reason Homo sapiens were so successful is because they were willing to include people with different minds in their society—people with autism or schizophrenia, for example.” According to Spikins, human tolerance allowed the genes associated with different kinds of brain development and mental illness to flourish, kick-starting a revolution.