Evolutionary Approaches To Depression - Social Risk Hypothesis

Social Risk Hypothesis

This hypothesis is similar to the rank hypothesis but focuses more on general social approval in a group rather than direct dominance contests. To maintain social ties were critical for survival and reproduction. During the Pleistocene period, for instance, such social ties were vital in food foraging and protection from predators.

Depression, resulting from one’s loss of what one approach calls "Social Attention Holding Power," or SAHP, may have signalled the individual's submissiveness to the more dominant males of the social group through associated symptoms, such as low confidence and anxiety. This, in turn, reduced tension among group members, and enabled bonds to be maintained. Secondly, depression may also have served to signal other members of an individual’s need for aid and desire to reform lost bonds.