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Why would something potentially very dangerous, such as hypoxia induce something pleasurable like euphoria? Are there any evolutionary hypotheses for this link? I'm thinking that something like the "choking game" would actually select against it, but that's probably too new.

the gods from engineering
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  • The short answer is because evolution is more than natural selection. Many questions based on the contrary false belief are being closed a duplicate to Why do some bad traits evolve, and good ones don't? Let us know if you think the other post does not address your question and why – Remi.b Nov 26 '17 at 05:44
  • Your question is in essence very similar to Why can fish survive out of water?. There is an easy physiological explanation. It evolves this way, not because it was selected for but simply as a side-effect of some other set of traits. – Remi.b Nov 26 '17 at 16:50
  • @Remi.b: yes, but do fish feel good out of water? – the gods from engineering Nov 26 '17 at 17:37
  • No, they don't. Feeling good is the trait of interest to you. Surviving for a few minutes was the trait of interest to this other post. Something might give us a pleasant feeling without the need for us to be selected for this feeling to be pleasant. I would recommend you to 1) follow an intro course to evolutionary biology to understand that evolution is way more than just natural selection 2) understand the physiological reason for this euphoria in hypoxia (which you can ask on a separate post) and you would then maybe more easily accept that it is just a side-effect of how the brains works. – Remi.b Nov 26 '17 at 18:33

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