I write this post with a clear but demanding purpose. I aim to apply insights from animal behavior research to gain a deeper understanding of how humans behave, struggle, and adapt. As a clinical psychologist, much of my work centers on two closely related questions. Why do people do what they do? And why is changing what does not work for them so often more difficult than it appears?

Because this approach draws heavily on both human and nonhuman research, it may initially appear to have a narrow focus on environmental influences and behavior. That impression misses the deeper point. When we seriously compare how humans and nonhuman animals function, we move well beyond surface explanations and into questions about meaning, purpose, and psychological cost (Marston, GoPaul, and Maple, 2024). One of the most important differences between humans and other animals lies in our relationship with language and what language allows us to do.

Comparative work forces us to ask a basic question. What does it mean to function effectively in response to the world as it is, versus constantly evaluating what our experiences mean and what our lives are supposed to be about? This distinction is not really about intelligence, nor is it about whether nonhuman animals communicate or possess complex

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