The connectability of evolutional explanation of depression with cognitive dysfunction: A literature review

Cognitive control dysfunction—manifested as impairments in attention, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility—is a core feature of depression. While extensively documented, its origins remain debated. This review proposes that such dysfunction may not simply reflect pathological failure but rather evolutionarily conserved strategies. Integrating three leading evolutionary accounts—Social Rank Theory (SRT), the Analytical Rumination Hypothesis (ARH), and Social Bargaining Theory (SBT)—the paper explores how each framework accounts for cognitive control impairment in depression.SRT suggests that executive downregulation facilitates submission following social defeat. ARH proposes that cognitive resources are reallocated to problem-focused rumination, impairing broader flexibility. SBT interprets dysfunction as a communicative signal that elicits social support. Empirical evidence from human and animal studies supports each model, revealing context-dependent trade-offs in cognitive functioning.The review further highlights developmental, cultural, and neurobiological moderators of these effects, and situates them within broader frameworks of evolutionary mismatch and comorbidity. It argues that understanding cognitive impairment through an adaptive lens clarifies its persistence, heterogeneity, and resistance to treatment.Finally, the paper discusses clinical implications, including tailoring interventions to the dominant evolutionary mechanism underlying a given depressive profile. By bridging cognitive science, clinical psychology, and evolutionary theory, this review offers a novel integrative framework for interpreting cognitive dysfunction in depression as a context-sensitive adaptation that may become maladaptive in modern environments.