Everything Tagged with 'evolution'
The Atlantic: ‘Play’s the Thing’
Benjamin Schwarz reviews a new book by Melvin Konner called “The Evolution of Childhood.” In short, it sounds really, really good. A particular passage from Schwarz’s review which stuck out at me was this one:
Konner is especially interested in play, which is not unique to humans and, indeed, seems to have been present, like the mother-offspring bond, from the dawn of mammals. The smartest mammals are the most playful, so these traits have apparently evolved together. Play, Konner says, “combining as it does great energy expenditure and risk with apparent pointlessness, is a central paradox of evolutionary biology.” It seems to have multiple functions—exercise, learning, sharpening skills—and the positive emotions it invokes may be an adaptation that encourages us to try new things and learn with more flexibility. In fact, it may be the primary means nature has found to develop our brains.