Suicide: An evolutionary paradox
“Why?”
This was my friend’s Instagram story, mourning the macabre suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. While people were offering a host of explanations — financial pressures, false allegations, death of his secretary, and of course conspiracy theories, my mind wandered on to a more perplexing question:
Why would such an evolutionarily wasteful process persist in human beings?
Let’s start with another question: Why do we like to fan around famous people? The answer is simple. Humans have spent millions of years evolving in jungle communities of hunter-gatherers. In such communities, famous people were generally the more powerful ones. If you licked arses of these famous men, you were likely to have a better share of food and shelter, hence, a better chance at reproducing and spreading your genes. Nature selected for this trait! That’s why so many of us are hardwired to get crazy around celebrities. [1]
If nature can select for this seemingly trivial trait, why wouldn't it select for individuals who never even think of committing suicide?
The answer likely lies in the concept of “Inclusive fitness”. [2]
deCatanzaro made a mathematical equation to explain the factors that influence suicide. [3] The current reproductive likelihood of the individual and that of other members are key components of this.
People tend to commit suicide when they feel depressed- maybe because people don’t care for them, they feel un-needed, they feel their “reputation” is at stake (that they may bring dishonor to their family), their lovers leave (representing grim chances of reproduction) or they may feel that they are a burden to their loved ones. In all these cases, the underlying thought process is
“My life is causing more problems for others than good, I am not required. No one needs me”.
So what do we want to imply? Let’s take an example:
A thousand years ago, an old man lived with his 3 married sons and 9 grandchildren. Being frayed and weak, he wasn’t able to help them earn money. Moreover, there was an acute shortage of funds and food at his home. So, he felt that he was a burden to his family and committed suicide.
In this case, the factors are:
- Current reproductive likelihood- It’s unlikely that the old man will find someone to mate at this stage.
- Reproductive likelihood of others — His 3 sons and 9 grandchildren are much more likely to reproduce.
- Genetic relatedness — Each of his sons has half of his genes and his grandchildren have a fourth of his genes.
- Constraint factor- The existence of this old man was ultimately harming the survival and reproduction of his kin by harnessing resources like food and funds.
Evolution’s first objective — survival and spread of genes.
In this case, his death augmented the survival of 12 members, having a gene quotient of 3 x 1/2 + 9 x 1/4 = 1.5 + 2.25 = 3.75. That means evolutionarily, it was a success! He left 3.75 more copies of his genes as compared to his own life, with 1 copy.
Of course, he wasn’t aware of this evolutionary calculation! He didn’t consciously think it out. He felt depressed and useless, hence, he committed suicide. Individuals don’t actually know that they are doing it for the survival of their genes — it’s the enigmatic claw of natural selection that drives such confounded behaviors.
What’s important to note is that these evolutionary calculations must have worked in primeval societies of humans, not in today’s modern society. Humans have lived as hunter-gatherers for millions of years — much more than the modern civilization which started a few thousand years ago. In those communities, suicide by the unwanted and diseased would be beneficial for the group and their genes.
On the other hand, in modern times, the death of a young teenager won’t help their genes in any way- rather it would bring insurmountable grief to their loved ones. The focus of life has shifted from reproduction to having a fruitful life. People no longer produce tens of children, rather, some prefer to produce none. Suicide is an evil psychological reminiscent of a mysterious evolutionary process. Actor Sushant’s suicide has done nothing apart from bringing grief to his loved-ones. Life is precious. There is no need to step into the vast oblivion just to run away from psychological distress.
Stay safe, stay happy!
I am open to critique and comments on this article.
Email: amulyagupta@gmail.com
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