facing human extinction

From 1000 years to 1 billion years the science predictions for human extinction are variable. Stanford scientist, fossil researcher Tony Barnosky, say that today’s rate of extinction is up to 100 times faster than typical.

Can we change our will of self-destruction to have more time than less?

Steve Taylorbook on The Fall, suggest that the end of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the advent of farming was connected to a psychological change that occurred in some groups of people. There was a new sense of individuality and separateness, which led a new selfishness, and ultimately to hierarchical societies, patriarchy and warfare.

Designers and makers of systems and products promote ways of living and have a huge impact on how society and peoples minds develop and behave. On social sustainability often we focus on the need to “put people first” in development processes. It promotes social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people human rights, fair labor practices, living conditions, health, safety, wellness, diversity, equity, work-life balance, community engagement, philanthropy, volunteerism.

In this wide topics we rarely talk about more specific psychology topics that involves the values of our actual society and some develop products and industries that promote self destructive behaviours even having social sustainability as goal.

Self-destructive behaviour is when you repeatedly do things that will harm you physically, mentally, or both. From attempting suicide, binge eating, compulsive activities like gambling, gaming, or shopping impulsive and risky sexual behaviour, overusing alcohol and drugs self-injury, such as cutting, hair pulling, burning. Also the non obvious being self-derogatory, ones as insisting you’re not smart, capable, or attractive enough changing yourself, to please others clinging to someone who is not interested in you engaging in alienating or aggressive behaviour that pushes people away maladaptive behaviours, such as chronic avoidance, procrastination, and passive-aggressiveness wallowing in self-pity, comparing yourself with others.

We cant always predict all consequences, negative and positive, from our products. We can make sure anyways we project with higher responsibility.

We rarely talk about mental illness related on sustainability.

Is our psychologist having the key to gain more time alive as specie and be a more effective society?