In today’s era of social media and smartphones, is the evolution of community on track? Aristotle famously asserted that: “Man is by nature a social animal… Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” I know that for some, the weekend’s antics might make us feel like a beast or a god, but I’m pretty sure we all remain human when Monday rolls around! And, as such, the science tells us that we are not only innately social, but that our inclination to form communities played a crucial role in making us human. To peek at the origins of our community spirit, we’d have to hop into a time machine and go back some 52 million years. This is when — thanks to analysis lead by Susanne Shultz of the University of Oxford — we believe our primate ancestors first started to hang out in social groups.
It turns out, the intersection of community ties and human evolution has something to do with the content of our gigantic noggins. Indeed, of all the creatures on the planet, the human brain is off the scale in terms of size in proportion to the body. In all other species, brains tend to be fairly consistent in scale, with one minor deviation — species that live in communities tend to exhibit slightly larger brains than their less social counterparts. Fascinatingly, within human evolution, developing complex social structures and increases in brain size progressed, hand in hand, down a far more complex path. If we leap back into our time machine and zoom forwards to Africa, around 6–700,000 years ago, we’d be able to spy on Homo heidelbergensis — the first of our ancestors who reached the brain size that we enjoy today. They, as far as we understand it, were the first of our ancestors to work and hunt together in an organized fashion, and the first to gather around campfires.
The Campfire Connection
And what do we think of when we imagine sitting around a campfire? Story telling — the art of sharing information. Our capacity to impart knowledge — passed between generations, and between communities — was instrumental in our advancement, alongside a complex array of facial expressions, and body language. Our sensitivity to social cues is so central to our way of being, that neuroscience shows it to be our default state. When neuroscientists looked at the parts of our brains that activate when we pause from an activity, or are in relaxed repose, they discovered that parts of our brain that light up are exactly those that we use for social thinking — for reading and making sense of those around us, and ourselves. By default, we are primed to interact socially above all else.
Community Driving Technology
When considering all of our astonishing technological accomplishments, it isn’t hard to see the role that our communal nature has played in driving innovation. From Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone, to the pioneers who collectively brought the internet into being, and on to Mark Zuckerberg’s legacy, human connection is a highly motivating (and lucrative) desire. We text, email, share photos, and seek updates in a digitally enhanced version of our instinctive behaviour patterns. In parallel, one could argue that the evolution of radio, television, and the World Wide Web are in a sense evolved versions of our campfire stories. Instead of telling tales, we watch them in spectacular CG rendered, guns blazing, technicolour! Instead of passing on information from father to son, or from village to village, we can share it in an email, or find it on Wikipedia.
Community On A Global Scale
With technology, the concept of community has evolved dramatically, and astonishingly quickly. Rather than tight knit groups bound by geographical location, today’s communities can be spread across the globe. We can find romance, discover work opportunities, connect with mentors, and seek others with common interests or shared experiences, all from the comfort of our own homes. Our communities are not restricted by nation, continent, race or creed. Conversely, however, despite having the world at our fingertips — via our touch screens — we still seem to be grappling with loneliness. A study last year, from global health service company Cigna, found that almost half of Americans felt alone, left out, or that nobody knew them well. Could it be that in our quest to build global communities, we’ve neglected some of our most fundamental needs?
Are We Robbing Ourselves Of Something Vital?
We have long considered community to be vital for human well being. Psychologist Abraham Maslow defined love and belonging as fundamental human needs in his now infamous 1943 ‘hierarchy of needs’. Today, we understand that feeling connected has powerful impacts on our heart health, our cancer survival rates, our cognition in later life, our mental health, our body inflammation levels — our overall longevity. Some studies even indicate that being part of a close community holds as much power as quitting smoking! At this point, we have to ask the question — where is the gap between our virtual communities, and our real-world ones?
We can be certain that many of the social cues that we evolved to use and interpret are dropped from interaction in the online world. Despite all the emojis we employ, we are lacking the full lexicon of human communication. A bigger clue might be found when we see what happens within those great noggins of ours, whenever we interact. Embracing someone in distress actually causes our own pleasure centres to light up — we benefit from supporting those within our community — while experiencing rejection triggers the same areas of the brain as physical pain. The ultimate clue may be found when we explore what happens when we hug. Oxytocin — affectionately dubbed the “cuddle hormone” — is released when we embrace, touch, or sit close to someone. This feel good hormone plays a powerful role in positively impacting blood pressure, reducing stress hormone levels, countering anxiety, and even lessening our experience of physical discomfort.
Communities Of The Future
There is no doubt that the digital age has made our lives far richer, emotionally, spiritually, aesthetically and intellectually. We can stay connected to family and friends, no matter where we journey. We have the capacity to tap into the collective knowledge of our species whenever we want to, and to reach out to kindred spirits anywhere in the world — just so long as there’s Wi-Fi, of course! Just as cities historically marked great heights of civilisation, perhaps the rising internet communities of today serve as a new symbols of civilisation, as virtual cultural hubs, rather than physical ones.
What we cannot neglect, however, is that our unplugged human interaction is still vital to our long term prosperity. Technology can provide so much for us, but it doesn’t serve as a supplement for intimate interaction, and the full sensory spectrum of non-verbal communication. So, perhaps, next time you have a choice between emailing a colleague or getting up to go to their desk, or the next time you have to choose between messaging a friend, or going over to see them — go with the latter. We can make the most of every incredible thing that technology has to offer, but also see friends and go on adventures — without a screen acting as an intermediary. In today’s world, community needs to be a multi-faceted idea.
Allow GRAYLL To Facilitate Your Shared Adventures
Take advantage of an App that will grow your wealth without the need for more screen time. GRAYLL taps into the vast processing power of Artificial Intelligence within this easy to use App — allowing you to invest and grow your capital, of any amount, with no expert knowledge or time commitment required. AI driven algorithms will steer you through effortless investments, with astounding accuracy, unfettered by human biases. The drive behind GRAYLL is to make next-generation financial freedom accessible to everyone — liberating users to enjoy a richer life experience, out in the world!
Learn More About GRAYLL’s Concept
Learn More About Finance & Economics to Improve Your Situation| Join Us
