What are your opinions on the theory that we are genetically lazy?

If they’re claiming humans are genetically lazy, that means they would need to show there are parts of the chromosome that are related to the desire for or regulation of physical activity. Is that what they showed? Does this gene influence chemicals in the brain, or hormone levels in the body, or how efficiently we use muscle tissue, etc. If they are simply pointing to a behaviour our ancestors had and trying to use that to explain why do certain things today, that’s not very scientific and I’d tend to dismiss it without more evidence. Not all behaviour is tied to genetics, and our bodies today are certainly different than humans even a few thousand years ago.

I don’t think that makes much sense, to me at least. If you consider our species when it was younger, we weren’t always considered apex predators, so we had to be strong and quick and stay on the move due to climate. These days, we don’t do as much labor as we once did because our brains have done all of the work for us; we’ve invented a never ending list of conveniences (services or machines) that make living easier. If we’re lazy, it’s not because we have genetic disposition to be that way.

There may be some truth to it - we are still genetically programmed to regard weight loss at a bad thing. Weight loss to our brain means something bad is happenening, so it tries to avoid this. Avoiding unnecessary physical exertion would assist maintaining fat stores. However, I wouldnt say its entirely genetic, I think a good deal of it is learned behaviour. Afterall, when someone actually gets up of the couch, and starts exercising regurly, they often find its something they cant stop, as it makes them feel good.

I believe genetics does play a huge role when it comes to being lazy but I also believe your laziness is nurtured on how you’ve lived your life. If you have lived your life with a routine you are far more unlikely to be classed as lazy.