Why do you assume it has ever been any different? Rate of serotonine production for example is coded in two genes.
Don't forget that it's not necessarily an evolutionary disadvantage to be slightly depressed or anxious, because you tend to avoid risks. Same with low motivation and an easily distracted mind which can help to conserve energy by finding ways of avoiding tasks.
I guess my use of finding suggests I assume it is different. I am not sure it is. I think a lot of people in time past probably felt the exact same way. It is more that these conditions become a bottleneck to "quality of life" in modern times, now that survival is relatively trivial for most people.
Social media is probably a bit of a factor as well, with the message that everyone else is having fantastic lives in contrast to our own "hanging on in quiet desperation"
Even pre-internet, we had a rise of TV shows like "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" which gave viewers a daily reminder of how mediocre their lives were in comparison.
The notion that everyone's life is (or should be) full of constant excitement, joy, and amazing experiences is false. It is very one-sided. But if that's all you see of everyone else, your own troubles (which are mostly the same troubles everyone has) start to seem abnormal, something that needs to be treated. So you go see a doctor and end up medicating the problem away.
And though she's not really ill, there's a little yellow pill /
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper /
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day
I think it's that, and also the fact that the type of work most of us do these days is pretty different than the type of work we did in times past, and the type of work we do now, especially knowledge work, seems to be more affected by ADHD than menial work.
Great point. I have found that doing simple routine tasks to be pretty rewarding dopamine wise. The way crossing things off a to-do list feels like accomplishment.
I agree with your points. I think that the environment plays a role in gene expression, no doubt the environment we live in today is much faster paced than it was as an agricultural society.
Don't forget that it's not necessarily an evolutionary disadvantage to be slightly depressed or anxious, because you tend to avoid risks. Same with low motivation and an easily distracted mind which can help to conserve energy by finding ways of avoiding tasks.