ווי און וואָס מענטשן האָבן צו ווערן פרידלעך

When we watch the news on TV, we think we live in a world where conflict and violence reign supreme. However, if we take a closer look at ourselves and study the history of our species, it turns out that, compared with other primates, we are quite peaceful creatures.

If we compare us with our closest relatives, the monkeys, we can see that in human groups the mechanisms of cooperation are much more complex, and empathy and altruism are much more common. We are more likely to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence than Kindred.

Evolutionary psychologists have long been interested in the question: what role has the desire for peace played in the development of our society? Does the ability not to quarrel with others affect the evolution of our society? Influences, and how, says biologist Nathan Lenz.

Scientists at all times were interested in the differences between people and their closest relatives in the world of fauna. But what are the reasons that prompted a reasonable person to become more peaceful than his ancestors? Scientists list at least six factors that contributed to this process. But surely there are many more, because our species has evolved for about a million years. Who knows what secrets his story hides?

Almost all scholars agree on the six items on the list, from anthropologists to social psychologists, from medical specialists to sociologists.

1. Intelligence, communication and language

It is no secret that many animal species have developed their own “language” to one degree or another. Sounds, gestures, facial expressions — all this is used by many animals, from dolphins to prairie dogs, Lenz recalls. But it is clear that the human language is much more complicated.

Some animals may ask their relatives for something specific and even describe what is happening, but this is extremely difficult for them. Another thing is human languages ​​with their cases, complex phrases, variety of tenses, cases and declensions…

Researchers believe that intelligence, language and peaceful coexistence are closely related. When it comes to primates, brain size (compared to total body weight) correlates with the size of the group in which they live. And this fact, according to experts in evolutionary processes, directly indicates the relationship between social skills and cognitive abilities.

Conflicts in large groups happen more often than in small ones. The ability to resolve them peacefully requires a developed social intelligence, a high level of empathy and broader communication skills than violent methods.

2. Competitive cooperation

Competition and cooperation may seem like opposites to us, but when it comes to groups, everything changes. People, like other representatives of the world of fauna, often unite to resist rivals. At this point, anti-social activities (competition) turn into pro-social activities (cooperation), explains Nathan Lentz.

Prosocial behavior is one that benefits other people or the entire society. To behave in this way, you need to be able to accept someone else’s point of view, understand the motivation of others and be able to empathize. It is also important for us to balance our needs with the needs of others and to give to others as much as we take from them.

Leveling up all these skills has made individual groups more successful in competing with other communities. We were rewarded by natural selection: a person became more prosocial and able to make emotional connections. Scientists jokingly say about these processes like this: «The friendliest survive.»

3. Acquired cultural characteristics

Groups whose members are able to cooperate are more successful. Having “understood” this, people began to accumulate some behavioral traits that later contributed not only to the ability to establish peace, but also to success in competition. And this set of skills and knowledge grows and is passed down from generation to generation. Here is a list of cultural characteristics of a person that contributed to a decrease in the number of conflicts within social groups:

1. social learning ability
2. development and implementation of rules of conduct in society,
3. division of labor,
4. a system of punishments for behavior that deviates from the accepted norm,
5. the emergence of a reputation that influenced reproductive success,
6. the creation of non-biological signs (attributes), which indicates belonging to a particular group,
7. the emergence of informal «institutions» within the group that benefit it.

4. «Domestication» of people

Self-domestication of humans is an idea rooted in Darwin’s teachings. But it is only now, as we begin to take a deeper interest in the genetic side of domestication, that we can fully appreciate its significance. The meaning of this theory is that people were once affected by the same processes that influenced the domestication of animals.

Modern domestic animals are not very similar to their wild predecessors. Goats, chickens, dogs and cats are more docile, more tolerant and less prone to aggression. And it happened precisely because for centuries man has bred the most obedient animals, and excluded the aggressive ones from this process.

If we compare today’s us with our ancestors, it turns out that we are also more peaceful and tolerant than our primitive great-grandfathers. This prompted scientists to think that the same “selective” process also affected people: those who showed a tendency to violence were left out. But the owners of the prosocial style of behavior were rewarded.

Biologically, this idea is supported by changes that we can observe in domesticated animals. Their teeth, eye sockets and other parts of the muzzle are smaller than those of their ancient predecessors. We also bear little resemblance to our Neanderthal relatives.

5. Decreased testosterone levels

Of course, we cannot measure testosterone levels in human and animal fossils. But there is mixed evidence that average levels of this hormone have been steadily declining in our species over the past 300 years. This dynamic was reflected in our faces: in particular, it was because of the drop in testosterone levels that they became more round. And our eyebrows are much less noticeable than those that our ancient ancestors “worn”. At the same time, testosterone levels decreased in both men and women.

It is known that in different animal species, high testosterone levels are associated with a tendency to aggression, violence and dominance. A lower level of this hormone indicates a more harmonious, calm state. Yes, there are nuances, and in the imagination of people, testosterone plays a somewhat exaggerated role, but still there is a connection.

For example, if we study aggressive, quarrelsome chimpanzees and their much more peaceful female-managed bonobo relatives, we find that the former have much higher testosterone levels than the latter.

6. Tolerance for strangers

The last important feature of humans worth mentioning is our ability to be tolerant of and accept strangers, provided that we consider them members of our society.

At some point, human communities became too large, and keeping a record of their members became too energy-intensive. Instead, the man did something amazing and impossible for his closest relatives: he developed an inner conviction that strangers are not a threat to him and that we can coexist peacefully even with those with whom we have no relationship.

And so it happened that levels of empathy and altruism have grown within human society in the last million years. During this time, prosocial behavior and the desire for cooperation between members of the same group also became widespread. Yes, violence has always been a part of our lives, but it gradually became less and less because it was beneficial to our species.

Understanding the causes that led to this decline — both social, genetic and hormonal — will help us become more peaceful creatures, which will ensure the long-term success of our species.