Cultural and Evolutionary Reasons for Being Self-Compassionate

Cultural reasons for the difficulty in being self-compassionate stem from societal norms that promote self-sacrifice and prioritize compassion towards others. Meanwhile, from an evolutionary perspective, our threat defense system inclines us to be self-critical when feeling threatened, while the care system encourages compassion and support towards loved ones for their safety. This distinction arises from the instinct to protect oneself through self-criticism and support others through compassion, leading to a tendency to prioritize kindness towards others over self-compassion.