Why “maladaptive” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
The "purpose" of morality, insofar as any naturally occuring thing can be said to have a purpose, can be assumed to be a group survival mechanism - a way for genes to cooperate…
by dTal · Oct 6, 2026
There is evidence that CBT is detrimental for several psychologies, including BPD, C-PTSD, OCD, autism spectrum. It's my own experience that CBT was only helpful at recognizing…
by avidiax · Oct 5, 2026
All that matters is the outcome. The child has to live with it. Offspring repeat maladaptive traits which were considered normal or effective. Any skills lacked will have to be…
by cj9 · Oct 4, 2026
Yea I took it as consciousness was maladaptive and sort of a local maxima that humans were trapped in which prevented them from gaining higher intelligences.
by trescenzi · Oct 4, 2026
> The primary idea was “intelligence can take different shapes”… IIRC, it was more "intelligence may be a maladaptive dead-end".
by ceejayoz · Oct 4, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "maladaptive" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "maladaptive" over time.
In evolution, a maladaptation is a trait that is more harmful than helpful, in contrast with an adaptation, which is more helpful than harmful. All organisms, from bacteria to humans, display maladaptive and adaptive traits. Like adaptation, maladaptation may be viewed as occurring over geological time, or within the lifetime of one individual or a group. Read more on Wikipedia