Elf Sternberg

Interesting ... clinical depression can then be considered to be normal and beneficial in certain circumstances, following your reasoning. I'm referring to severe depression, where someone hides away from the world, curls up in a ball, and has no desire to eat or even move, while feeling emotionally numb. If a natural disaster, pack of wolves, or rival tribe slaughtered your entire family, those prone to depression would curl up under a pile of leaves and not forage for food for a week or two. Just as sleeping at night kept humans from stumbling over cliffs in the dark, or being snacks for nocturnal predators, lying in bed like Brian Wilson could make a big difference in whether or not you or your relatives pass on your genes.