Being neurotic means that you are hyper sensitive to negative stimuli. You could be completely relaxed and then all the sudden you will be jolted into thinking about things that you still need to do or haven’t done. Or you may be thinking that you have lost something of yours and you suddenly need to make sure you know right where it is. As uncomfortable as all that anxiety sounds, it’s actually been beneficial for survival throughout the evolutionary process.
Key Takeaways:
- When humans first evolved, being a little neurotic may have been highly beneficial to survival.
- Neuroticism appears to be an inherited trait, lasting thousands of years.
- Scoring high in neuroticism is associated with a slew of negative outcomes for your physical and mental health.
“Some researchers argue that in the environment where humans first evolved, being a little neurotic may have been highly beneficial.”
Read more: https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/neuroticism-evolutionary-psychology