We are all still cavemen | @caroline-cavanagh | The Anxiety Alchemist

1 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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Caroline Cavanagh explains why we fear judgment: our brains evolved when expulsion from the tribe meant death. That ancient wiring still fires today, even though modern life offers radiators and new groups to join. Recognizing the primitive driver can ease the fear.

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I hate to say this to you, but fundamentally we are all still cavemen. We're just a little less hairy now because we've got radiators, but the way our psychology works, the way our mind works, we are ultimately still cavemen. And in caveman times, if someone got chucked out of the tribe, they would die. Therefore, being part of that tribe is intrinsic to their survival. And that fundamentally is why we fear judgment, because if the judgment is negative and you get ostracized, that primitive person that's still alive in all of us is going, oh my goodness, I'm going to die! So just recognize we do have radiators now, we are a bit less hairy, and we do have the ability to be outside of a particular tribe 'Cause there's always another one you can go and join too. It's not gonna kill you.