Evolutionary Mismatch & the Conscious Path Forward with Eric Edmeades

Why are mental health struggles rising—even as life gets objectively easier?

In this episode of Modern Enlightenment, Austin Mao sits down with Eric Edmeades – a globally recognized keynote speaker, prolific entrepreneur, and recognized authority inhealth, practical psychology, and behavioral transformation to explore why modern humans are more anxious, disconnected, and emotionally unwell than ever, despite living in the safest, most comfortable conditions in history.

Eric introduces the concept of evolutionary mismatch—the idea that our ancient biology is out of sync with today’s hyper-optimized, overstimulating world. The conversation traces how we ended up here—and what it’s going to take to navigate forward with more ease, presence, and resilience. Eric challenges listeners to rethink what it actually means to thrive. Consciousness, he argues, isn’t just a spiritual luxury—it’s a practical necessity in a world that constantly pulls us out of alignment.

This episode doesn’t offer easy answers. But it does open up real, grounded questions about how to live well in a world our nervous systems weren’t designed for. If you’ve ever felt like something’s off—even when everything “should” be fine—this one’s for you.

Key Timestamps

0:00:00 Introduction

0:06:51 The Evolutionary Mismatch Theory

0:11:55 The wrong instinctual response and the challenge of it.

0:15:19 Consciousness – the exhaustible resource.

0:22:25 When did we start needing consciousness?

0:25:50 Skills to cultivate to start living a happier life.

0:33:15 The existential challenge that we see prevailing today.

0:35:26 The dilemma of people being lonelier than they’ve ever been.  

0:40:51 We don’t need consciousness when things are easy.

0:46:18 Are you truly suffering or just in pain?

0:47:44 Now is the perfect time to develop consciousness.

0:48:56 Meet the current environment with ease through consciousness.

Memorable Quotes:

“You don’t need to develop consciousness when things areeasy.” -Eric Edmeades (40:51)

“Suffering is that it’s only suffering if we aren’t receiving the message and doing something about it. Otherwise, it’s just pain.”  -Eric Edmeades (46:19)

Links mentioned in the episode:

Evolutionary Mismatch Assessment: https://gapfinder.com

Connect with Dr. Eric Edmeades

Website: https://ericedmeades.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericedmeades

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericedmeades

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EricEdmeades

Connect with Modern Enlightenment:

Website: https://www.ceremoniacircle.org/podcast/modern-enlightenment

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceremoniacircle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ceremoniacircle

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ceremoniacircle

Apply to be a guest on the show: https://airtable.com/appiLHnhKJH01qCNe/pageThPHAjQNNaJNY/form

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com