Are you looking for a new read? Maybe even something that will enhance your understanding of Psychology? 'Mothers and Others' is definitely a highly recommended book by Izy, you should read why...
Sarah Hrdy is an American anthropologist, primatologist and author who has made significant contributions to our understanding of evolutionary psychology and socio-biology.Published in 2011, Hrdy’s Mothers and Others is her most recent book. The book takes the reader through the evolutionary origins of mutual understanding, and demonstrates why humans are able to empathise and cooperate in ways unlike any other animal. Hrdy begins by showing that what separates humans from other primates is the ability to question, observe and discuss abstract concepts, including the past and the future.
Benevolence is also a unique feature of human cognition, and adults are wired for shared care and the upbringing of offspring using ‘alloparents’ (non-biological parents). A non-human primate would rarely trust the care of their baby to someone else. These unique abilities have allowed the human race to develop intellectually into the most dominant species on earth. Hrdy questions how it was possible that the more empathetic and generous hunter-gatherers prospered in ancient African landscapes, which were primarily occupied by highly self-centred apes. She shows that even before language, there must have been an endemic desire to communicate, and so humans must have been far more interested in each other’s inner feelings than were other apes.
Humans descended from a common ancestor from Africa between 50,000 and 150,000 years ago, we are the first anatomically modern creatures to have thought symbolically and used language. But why us and not them? Why did humans benefit from empathy and mutual understanding when other apes remained selfish and aggressive? Hrdy’s book speculates that the evolutionary pressure for cooperative breeding, combined with emotional modernity in apes with bigger brains and bodies, extended lifespans and prolonged childhoods, caused such emotional modernity to flourish early in hominid evolution long before language did. Other apes lacked an environment in which mind reading and sharing could develop and then be subjected to selective pressures.
Hrdy uses evidence from genetics, fossil records, comparative and developmental psychology and anthropological research in order to present her argument. Her simple and clear explanations allow readers who have no biological knowledge to understand her writings.
Over 2 million years, natural selection led to the evolution of cognitive tendencies which encouraged infants to stay connected with others even when out of physical contact; babies became more skilled in this ability to read and trust adults who were not their biological parents. This also had an effect on the capabilities of older people. Young adults would ‘practice’ caring for others’ babies, allowing them to develop skills which would eventually lead to their children surviving and passing on their genes.
Hrdy finally relates her research to today’s upbringing of children. She demonstrates how alloparental care is often not required, and grandparents, aunts and family friends may not be used in today’s society. Many children are therefore being brought up without forging trusting relationships with adults other than their parents. She demonstrates the correlation between a lack of empathy and understanding in adulthood and children who have been brought up without strong relationships during childhood.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in evolutionary and developmental psychology, as well as anthropology. It is readable, enjoyable and accessible and provides an excellent explanation of the origins of mutual understanding in humans.
Intrigued? Click here to Buy 'Mothers and Others' now and find out more!
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