The Specialized Mind

Welcome to an entirely new view of humanity - one where neurodiversity is at the very heart of our story. In The Specialized Mind, leading expert Dr Adam Hunt reveals the evolutionary impetus behind conditions ranging from autism and ADHD to schizophrenia and psychosis. This pioneering work shows how, behind each of seven so-called 'disorders' is a cognitive difference that was essential to the development and continued success of the human race. Covering autism, ADHD, dyslexia, schizophrenia, extreme anxiety, and psychopathy The Specialized Mind sets out the often surprising reasons why particular traits were essential to the hunter-gatherer lives of humans throughout the vast majority of history. Crucially, he also explains how today's world makes life so difficult for people with these conditions, and provides inspirational thinking as to how this evolutionary knowledge could transform schools, workplaces and wider society. Packed with contemporary and historic case studies - such as Old Grandfather Nikitin, an unusually-withdrawn Siberian reindeer herder who was revered by his tribe for his encyclopaedic knowledge of 2,600 reindeer - The Specialized Mind will fundamentally change the way we think about neurodiversity, and about humanity.

Adam Hunt, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Evolution, Mental Health and Behaviour lab at the University of Cambridge. He is also Founding Chair of the Foundation for Evolution and Mental Health, an Executive Committee Member of the Evolutionary Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Communications Chair for the International Society of Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, and host of the Evolving Psychiatry Podcast. He has published extensive academic research in the field of evolutionary psychiatry, with a focus on improving scientific methods for inferring evolutionary explanations, explaining neurodiversity, and investigating the impact of evolutionary explanations.