{[(∞)]}

At first glance, the fact that we grow old and die seems like one massive evolutionary mistake. After all, if evolution is all about survival of the fittest, wouldn’t the fittest individuals be those that can stay healthy and keep reproducing forever?

That’s a bit of a simplification - and no, evolution isn’t all about survival of the fittest, but it’s a useful shorthand - but the fact is that there’s no clear reason why aging evolved in the first place. Biologists have generally assumed that it’s a side effect of other, more important adaptations. But there might be a more direct evolutionary benefit for aging.

For humans to thrive, we often need to come up with unexpected solutions to tricky problems. Yet people are often skeptical and dismissive of creative ideas…and the reason for that is found deep inside our minds.

Anyone who considers him or herself a misunderstood genius - and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that includes roughly 98% of those reading this - knows the experience of having a brilliant idea rejected. The narrow-minded audience is incapable of grasping the visionary concept being put forward, greeting the proposal with dismissive shrugs and petty objections when they should be showering praise and adulation. Creativity is almost universally considered a positive trait in theory, but in practice it seems to make people distinctly uncomfortable.

Biologically speaking, humans are pretty much just another animal, and it’s actually hard to come up with any clear explanation for what sets us apart. But we have a hard time accepting this … and the reason we’re in denial about our animal status may be hardwired into our brains.