Anorexia nervosa: an evolutionary puzzle

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) has proven difficult to explain and is especially so from an evolutionary perspective. It is widespread, has probably existed for centuries and includes a genetic component but leads to starvation, infertility and sometimes death. An attempt to explain AN will be made using a synthesis of evolutionary ideas about responses to threat. Dietary restriction is described as a response to perceived threats of exclusion from the group, which would once have been dangerous. This can develop into AN only where the weight loss sets off an ancient adaptive response to the threat of famine. Eating again and weight gain would mean re-entering the competition for status and belonging and are therefore felt as threatening. This synthesis can explain the unusual mix of features found in AN that are otherwise resistant to explanation.

Self-Defining Memories of Body Image Shame and Binge Eating in Men and Women: Body Image Shame and Self-Criticism in Adulthood as Mediating Mechanisms

“…In fact, the display of a body image with valued features has always 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 played an important role in the interplay of others' and self evaluations (Strahan, Wilson, Cressman, & Buote, 2006). In particular for women, physical appearance has been a fundamental dimension for self-evaluation and for determining whether one is accepted and valued by others (Burkle, Ryckman, Gold, thornton, & Audesse, 1999;Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997;Gatward, 2007;Gilbert, 2002;Gilbert, Price, & Allan, 1995). There is growing evidence demonstrating that body image-related shame plays a significant role in the development and persistence of binge eating symptomatology among women composing clinical (Dakanalis et al, 2015;Duarte et al, 2015a;Fitzsimmons-Craft et al, 2011) and nonclinical samples (Dakanalis, Clerici, et al, 2014;Duarte & Pinto-Gouveia, 2016).…”

“…Nonetheless, in modern western societies women still face greater pressures than men do to approximate the images of idealized bodies as a means to reach social approval and acceptance (Buote, Wilson, Strahan, Gazzola, & Papps, 2011;Gatward, 2007;Gilbert, 2002). In fact, whereas conceptions of traditional masculinity convey the notion that men's worth is related to their abilities to be powerful, socially dominant, and physically effective (Kilmartin, 2007), women constantly face messages that their worth depends on how their physical appearance is perceived by others (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), which negatively affects their selfevaluation, body image, and eating behaviour (Fitzsimmons-Craft et al, 2011;Dakanalis et al, 2015;Dakanalis, Clerici, et al, 2014; being seen by others as flawed, unattractive or inferior, as well as to the internal shaming process that includes severe self-criticism (Goss & Allan, 2009;Goss & Gilbert, 2002;.…”

Seeking a perfect body look: feeding the pathogenic impact of shame?

“…Body shape has always been an important domain in self and social evaluations for women [37] and a particularly used dimension to attain acceptance and positive attention inside the social group [29].…”

Evolutionary mechanisms in the background of anorexia nervosa

“…Egyes evolúciós elméletek az evészavarokat, köztük az AN-t is a különbö-zô fenyegetettségekre adott válasznak tekintik. Az étkezés korlátozása egyfajta válaszreakció a csoportból történô kirekesztettségtôl való félelem-re (Gatward, 2007). A nôk a stresszes helyzetekkel való megküzdéskor inkább a társas támogatást, azaz a "tend-and-befriend" stratégiát alkalmazzák, a férfiak pedig inkább a "fight-or-flight" jellegû viselkedést.…”