It has previously crossed my mind that the hunter gathering instinct that evolved traits such as strength, speed, stamina etc in our tribal forefathers may have gradually been replaced with other factors. Nowadays these physical attributes are not necessarily what makes the ‘best’ mate or those that give the highest rate of survival/prosperity. Although this change seems logical, what these other factors may be is not clear and how they directly relate to our physiological make-up is even more opaque.
In modern Western society it is more likely than not that a person with very strong attributes in areas such as intelligence, social ability, natural leadership, financial acumen, etc could lead to getting ahead in the social strata and/or achieving greater evolutionary ‘success’. This could help explain why research has found a long term increasing level of intelligence in our society (the so called ‘Flynn effect’) but could it also be the case that we are evolving to be more socially capable?
Recent research seems to link the size of ones amygdala, a small almond shaped structure deep within the temporal lobe, to a rich and varied social life among humans. The study for Nature Neuroscience found support for the ‘social brain hypothesis’. This suggests that evolutionarily, due to living in larger, more complex social groups preferable mates are selected for their social ability.
In some part, social ability now seems to be linked to the volume of the amygdala, where the larger the brain region the greater the capacity for performing relevant social computations (eg forming alliances, gauging social situations, gaining friends and limiting foes). It is intriguing that these things could potentially be located in one area of the brain. This could provide an area to concentrate future treatments for those suffering ‘social’ disorders, such as social alienation, depression, etc. It is not something traditionally connected to a specific element of ones physiology but seems to continue to merit further research on the brain and it’s amazing impact on how we interact with the world.
In modern Western society it is more likely than not that a person with very strong attributes in areas such as intelligence, social ability, natural leadership, financial acumen, etc could lead to getting ahead in the social strata and/or achieving greater evolutionary ‘success’. This could help explain why research has found a long term increasing level of intelligence in our society (the so called ‘Flynn effect’) but could it also be the case that we are evolving to be more socially capable?
Recent research seems to link the size of ones amygdala, a small almond shaped structure deep within the temporal lobe, to a rich and varied social life among humans. The study for Nature Neuroscience found support for the ‘social brain hypothesis’. This suggests that evolutionarily, due to living in larger, more complex social groups preferable mates are selected for their social ability.
In some part, social ability now seems to be linked to the volume of the amygdala, where the larger the brain region the greater the capacity for performing relevant social computations (eg forming alliances, gauging social situations, gaining friends and limiting foes). It is intriguing that these things could potentially be located in one area of the brain. This could provide an area to concentrate future treatments for those suffering ‘social’ disorders, such as social alienation, depression, etc. It is not something traditionally connected to a specific element of ones physiology but seems to continue to merit further research on the brain and it’s amazing impact on how we interact with the world.
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