Neolithic Genes In Modern Times
We, Homo sapiens, are navigating our 21st century existence with Neolithic genes. We need to enrich our understanding of who we are - genetics, anthropology, palaeontology, neuropsychology, and social psychology- to realise this better. Our genes lag behind our real world environment. The progress of evolution has long periods of relative dormancy and constancy, disrupted by short periods of swift transformation.
Human existence has had two such significant transitions -from hunter-gatherer Stone Age society to settled agricultural civilisation and the relatively recent shift to an urban, industrial society. We are seeing the third –a transition to an information age -where existence will be seamlessly physical and virtual at the same time.
Humans emerged as hunter-gatherers about 250,000 years ago, living in clans. Some 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, agriculture started and transformed society. Then 500 years, global commerce began to grow and, in turn, fuelled industrialisation some 200 years ago. Our shift to a settled, prosperous, urban and generally safe society has been very recent. In terms of time, the information age has barely even beeped on the radar of human existence.
The conditions of life have changed radically since the Stone Age, but we are still ‘hardwired' hunter-gatherers. We carry constructive social traits, self-destructive tendencies and primaeval biases. Our emotions take precedence over our reason. We revel in machismo and are clannish. All of us have a herd instinct and indulge in gossiping. We build natural chains of command and follow assertive frontrunners reflexively.
In what ways are we from the Stone Age?
Instinctual cooperation-
Collaboration, partaking, specialization and sociability began with affiliation. Our Stone Age ancestors began living in groups of up to 150 people. Virtually all hunter-gatherer tribes shared to survive. Sharing food was the basis for cooperative exchange among hunter-gatherers. The animals hunted were big and successful hunts were infrequent. It, therefore, made good sense to share the kill throughout the clan. Sharing reduced the risk of going hungry because other hunters would reciprocate. The humans who survived and prospered passed on their genes.
Cooperation, specialization and skill-building require friendliness. Therefore a predisposition to sharing information, exchanging things and doing mutual favours is hardwired in us. This Stone Age affability and cooperation are very appropriate to modern living.
But, it is because of this that we find it hard to deliver bad news, to quantity each individual's contribution accurately, or disproportionately reward contributors by culling out the laggards.
Moreover, there are several other primitive characteristics we need to be aware of and compensate for.
I listed the major ones here.
Emotion over reason-
Alertness was a matter of life and death. Good instinct saved lives. Emotions were and are the first reaction to everything seen or sensed. These instincts got passed genetically. So, when we receive negative feedback, we react emotionally. Emotion beats cold reason.
- Typecasting from the first impression -
Because the Stone Age world was threatening and complex, it was necessary to classify things immediately on the most basic data. Genes that survived, were of those who made quick decisions on first impressions. Sitting around to analyse evidential data was not life-enhancing.
Today, even when it is not so vital to decide instantly we still give enormous weight to first impressions. As a salesman knows, a winning smile, a firm handshake, and a good opening line can close the sale. We make many poor decisions and omit to weigh the evidence judiciously simply because of emotive short circuits in our processing
-Comfort in the hierarchy-
In hunter-gatherer societies, ad hoc hierarchies were led by confident leaders. Security increased with attachment or deference to a leader. We are wired to follow a pecking order. This explains why every revolutionary attempt destroys hierarchy. But strangely, once the existing official hierarchy is abolished, an equally valid unofficial pecking orders springs up and flourishes. Hierarchy without insight is value destructive.
-Risk avoidance.
Conformity is still wired in us and following the herd is as popular as ever. One look at fashion, music, sports, celebrity mania and conformist ideology –isms will show us that.
Hunter-gatherers tended to take risks only under constraints when they were able to find no safer option. A high degree of security seeking prevents us from embracing risks. Because hunter-gatherers weren't secure, they generally avoided risk.
Now we are often much more secure than the hunter-gatherers, yet we are still loath to take risks, even when these are far from life-threatening. This reluctance to take risks is a hangover from the Stone Age.
Risk aversion is built into most modern business. We talk about a 'risk premium,' where returns must be significantly higher to justify taking an extra risk. Disruptions, innovations, breakthroughs emerge from smaller enterprises who have less to lose. It is ironical that those who are bigger and more profitable are reluctant to take the risk. Because we are risk-averse, we move only when convinced that the upside greatly exceeds the downside. This is despite evidence that, increasingly, business fortune goes to the brave.
In conclusion, we should not be distressed about the implications of evolutionary psychology on the one hand and our modern existence on the other hand. Remember, we are the only species that can formally learn and transmit learning. This means that we can realise that many of our weaknesses are because of genetic bias and, if we are mindful, we can be successful in correcting such biases.
Like all species of living things, mankind is also hardwired, but it is the only that is capable of wilful rewiring.
In this lies our salvation.
