biological need

[unpakwon]

What does "biological need" refer to in the following?

Why is dysphoria so common? Why is it conserved? Why do anxiety, anger, and sadness pervade so much of our lives---concurrent with so much success, wealth, and absence of biological need in the lives of privileged Americans?

Thank you for your time.

 

[BobK]

Need for food, shelter, clothing... - things a body needs to stay alive.

b

 

[bertietheblue]

What does "biological need" refer to in the following?

Why is dysphoria so common? Why is it conserved? Why do anxiety, anger, and sadness pervade so much of our lives---concurrent with so much success, wealth, and absence of biological need in the lives of privileged Americans?

Thank you for your time.

You might talk about the absence of certain needs but not the 'absence of biological need'. All humans, rich or poor, have biological needs to be met; otherwise, we will become extinct. I mean, to begin with, what about the biological need to procreate? Do the privileged no longer have this need?

I think the author misused 'biological need' and should have written 'material need'.

 

[Barb_D]

I think the author took too much of a short cut. The needs are still there, but there is no challenge in meeting them. We don't have to devote 3/4 of our day to hunting or harvesting our food and seeking shelter.

Or perhaps the author simply meant we have no "need" because these are all met.

In any case, it's an extension of the proverb that idle hands do the devil's work. Because we don't need to devote ourselves to seeing to our biological needs, the mind has time to get itself in trouble.

 

[unpakwon]

I see.

Thank you all for the answer.