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Related Experiment Videos

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an evolutionary perspective

J F Shelley-Tremblay1, L A Rosén

  • 1Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|December 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have historically offered survival advantages. This review explores theories suggesting ADHD traits could have been adaptive in ancestral environments.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Human Genetics

Background:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) impacts 5% of school-aged children, with many experiencing it into adulthood.
  • A significant genetic component underlies ADHD etiology.
  • The high prevalence of ADHD, seemingly maladaptive today, prompts evolutionary explanations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and discuss theories on the potential adaptive functions of ADHD.
  • To explore how ADHD traits might have conferred survival advantages historically.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing theories on ADHD.
  • Discussion of the hunter, fighter, and wader hypotheses for ADHD's adaptive role.

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Main Results:

  • No single theory fully explains ADHD.
  • Historical environments may have favored traits associated with ADHD.
  • ADHD might have been selected for survival in certain ancestral contexts.

Conclusions:

  • ADHD's prevalence may be partly understood through an evolutionary lens.
  • Historically, ADHD traits could have been adaptive, contributing to survival.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the evolutionary basis of ADHD.