The hardest problems for evolutionary psychology - part one: suicide

The basis of evolution is differential reproduction, so all life is programmed to survive and reproduce. Therefore the most perplexing problems in evolutionary psychology are when life seems to be programmed to self-destruct or voluntarily give up genetic reproduction.  I will try to provide a tentative answer to these riddles, based on personality types.

I have argued before that it is a mistake for evolutionary psychology to assume that all human minds are the same. I do strongly believe there is a human nature, but there is a considerable variation to it. So, if we want to understand a phenomenon like suicide, the first idea we have to give up is that all humans are prone to it to the same degree.

I have argued before that evolved personality types can be considered to have more or less hunter-gatherer genetic heritage. Hunter-gather minds (INTP/INFP in Myers-Briggs) are more likely to have problems with our capitalist world than farmer minds (ESTJ/ESFJ).

While suicide might be understandable in some cases it mostly leaves us speechless. What is perhaps even more surprising is that a whopping third of all suicides are committed by the rare (3%) INFP type. Leaving out the sensitive ISFPs (artistic type) it is easy to see that suicide affects mostly (I)NF types (INFP, INFJ, ENFP, ENFJ, in that order) plus INTPs.

NF types are called “Idealists” in Myers-Briggs (Hellen Fisher calls them “Negotiator”). It seems like our world is not a great place for idealists to live and I suspect that they have the highest rates of depression, BPD, bipolar and other mental problems.

INTPs are rational types, just as rare at 3% as INFPs and have the highest rate of suicide among T types. In my experience, INFPs and INTPs are the two types who feel most alien to this planet. I, therefore, assume that these two types most closely resemble hunter (INTP) and gatherer (INFP) minds. These two types are overrepresented among gifted kids and you will probably find many university professors among them. Paradoxically these two types also are among the lowest income types, so I suppose there is a high number of unemployed and homeless people among them. Even if they have a good income they might find themselves at the edge of society and find life harder and more frustrating than the other types.