Specialised Minds: An Evolutionary Take on Neurodiversity by Adam D. Hunt
Introduction
Dr Adam D. Hunt is a psychiatry researcher, writer and podcaster whose work asks a simple but radical question:
‘What if many of the difficulties we diagnose today are really signs that our Stone-Age brains are colliding with a Space-Age world?’
Adam blends evolutionary biology, psychiatry and anthropology to re-frame conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia as long-standing variations in human design rather than modern “malfunctions.” In this blog post Adam distils that perspective for the world of sport—showing why traits that look disruptive in classrooms or offices can become super-powers in training halls and on playing fields when environments are set up to fit the minds that inhabit them.
Dr Adam D. Hunt.
Rethinking Mental Health* Through Evolution
Our evolutionary history is often ignored when thinking about mental health. We forget that the world humans lived in for millions of years – which our brains and minds are designed for – was very different to today.
We assume a mental health diagnosis means ‘something has gone wrong’ in the person. But what if that person’s difficulties are more related to changes in the world, and modern expectations for how minds should work? We expect people to sit still in classrooms, read with ease… but classrooms and writing are very new inventions.
Nobody ‘should’ be able to sit still in classrooms or read with ease, evolutionarily speaking. The fact that some can and some can’t is a matter of happenstance, but doesn’t reflect true biological breakage. It may be better understood as what’s called an evolutionary mismatch – our bodies and brains aren’t designed for this world, and sometimes we medicalise the problems which result.
*Context note on mental health:
In this blog, the term mental health is used in the broadest sense—encompassing both formal diagnoses like ADHD, Autism, and dyslexia (often considered neurodevelopmental conditions), as well as wider emotional, behavioural, and cognitive experiences that are commonly discussed under the umbrella of mental wellbeing. Rather than viewing these traits as problems within the individual, this piece encourages us to question whether the mismatch between modern environments and ancient human wiring might be a major part of the story.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
What Is Evolutionary Psychiatry?
Evolutionary psychiatry is a scientific discipline reframing mental health conditions by trying to explain them in relation to our evolutionary history.
When it comes to neurodiversity, there are big questions which previous biomedical approaches haven’t managed to solve:
Why are these cognitive differences so common in the population?
Why do they last so long?
Why do they appear so early in life?
These traits are somewhat genetically caused, and the genes which make people autistic, or ADHD, or dyslexic, are clearly common in the population, and affect us for all our lives. This isn’t what we expect from disease, which often appears later in life, is rare, or not inherited.
Evolution could have caused everyone to be ‘neurotypical’, if that was what was optimal. But it hasn’t. Why?
Why Do Neurodivergent Traits Persist?
One of the key evolutionary explanations for neurodiversity is the same process that explains ‘normal’ personality traits – we differ in extraversion, and we differ in autistic traits, and the same evolutionary dynamics should explain why those differences persist.
There is a reason why we aren't all extremely extraverted or extremely introverted, or all extremely autistic or non-autistic – these variations aren’t errors, they’re design.
The core dynamic revolves around cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and how they fit into our social groups. Our ancestors lived in close bands and tribes, hunting and gathering food every day as a collective.
Evolution could have caused everyone to be ‘neurotypical’, if that was what was optimal.
Cave drawings, credit Aleksandr Isaev
Neurodivergence as Social Strength
Within these hunter-gatherer groups, individual differences could evolve as a form of division-of-labour or social niche specialisation. With roughly 150 individuals in an extended tribe, or about 25 in a sleeping/hunting group, there would always be:
One autistic person
One person with broad autistic traits
One person with ADHD
One person with dyslexia
Although we can’t know for sure how they fitted into those societies, the genetic and biological evidence suggests these individuals existed – and that they weren’t evolutionarily disadvantaged.
The simplest conclusion is this: their strengths were balanced with their weaknesses, and they played a vital role in their communities.
Strengths and Costs
It’s widely recognised – by science and by experience – that neurodivergent people show both strengths and difficulties due to their cognitive style.
In the realm of sport, this could manifest as:
Deep focus and attention to detail
Unusual obsessiveness
Dedication to improvement
Pattern recognition or sensory attunement
The same tendencies can also lead to challenges. But evolutionarily speaking, the benefits likely outweighed the costs. That’s why these traits remain in our population.
We have never found strong biomedical evidence of ‘pathology’ behind these traits. Instead, the challenge lies in modern environments and expectations – not in the wiring of the brain itself.
A Call to Shift the Frame
If we were to shift our expectations and redesign our environments to better incorporate neurodivergent people – supporting their challenges and harnessing their strengths – we would be tapping into an evolutionarily ancient well of human potential.
Too often, contemporary psychiatry misses this opportunity. It focuses on correcting perceived deficits rather than embracing cognitive diversity as a natural and necessary part of our species.
It’s time to reframe.
Final Thoughts
Modern sport has an unparalleled opportunity: by recognising neurodivergence as evolutionary specialisation rather than clinical deviation, we can build teams and communities that echo the flexible, inter-dependent bands in which Homo sapiens first thrived.
By redesigning spaces instead of redesigning people, we don’t just make sport fairer—we make it fitter for the species we actually are.
If Adam’s ideas spark your curiosity, dive deeper;
Specialised Minds: his open-access paper extending evolutionary personality theory to “psychopathology.”
Evolving Psychiatry Podcast: conversations at the intersection of brains, genes and culture.
More articles, talks and resources at adamhunt.info.
Key Takeaways for Neurodivergent Individuals
Your wiring is ancient
→ Evolution kept these traits because they offered real advantages; recognise the strengths baked into your brain.
Mismatch, not malfunction
→ Feeling “off” may signal that the setting is wrong, not you; seek contexts that value your style.
Leverage the edge
→ Focus, pattern-spotting and tenacity can give you a performance boost once you’re in the right arena.
Key Takeaways for Peers, Supporters, and Parents
See context before judgement
→ Struggle often means the environment is ill-suited—adjust it before labelling failure.
Celebrate cognitive variety
→ Diversity in thinking is as crucial to a team as diversity in skills and backgrounds.
Balance the ledger
→ Where you notice a challenge, look for the paired strength evolution always supplies.
Key Takeaways for Coaches, Leaders, and Organisations
Design for 100 000-year-old brains
→ Shorter instruction loops, movement breaks and clear sensory spaces mirror ancestral conditions.
Role-match like hunter-gatherers
→ Assign tasks that exploit hyper-focus, rapid scanning or systems thinking instead of forcing uniformity.
Unlock dormant talent
→ Inclusive set-ups don’t lower standards—they release capacity that’s otherwise lost to attrition and burnout.
This blog post was written by Adam D. Hunt. Subtitles were added by the Neurodiverse Sport team to support readability.