Social bonds and ancestral traditions shaped human survival

Anthropologist Virginia Mendoza explains how prehistoric social behaviors, such as gossip and communal gathering, were essential for human survival.

Mendoza argues that human evolution relied heavily on social cooperation rather than just technological tools. She cites the work of Robin Dunbar, who suggests that gossip functioned as a sophisticated social organization tool for early humans. By sharing information about others, ancestors could identify reliable allies and potential threats.

Mendoza compares these prehistoric conversations to modern social media and messaging apps, noting that humans still possess a fundamental instinct to share and receive information about their peers. The role of older women in survival also plays a major part in this history. Anthropologist Kristen Hawkes studied the Hadza people in Tanzania and found that older women spent significant time gathering food to feed their families and grandchildren.

This finding supports the grandmother hypothesis, which suggests that the cooperation of older women allowed for better child survival and longer human lifespans. Mendoza notes that while modern society often values independence, our species survived because of these deep-seated communal ties. Mendoza warns that modern society faces a paradox where people feel increasingly isolated despite being more connected than ever. She points to the World Health Organization's 2025 report on loneliness as evidence of a growing health crisis.

She suggests that current cultural trends toward extreme independence and the exclusion of others may contradict the very social behaviors that allowed humans to thrive for millions of years.