A recent Science magazine article on aging chimpanzees and social interactions caught my eye, and not just because I’m aging myself. Evolution is fascinating!
Socially Speaking
Social theory suggests we humans put greater awareness on social relationships as we age. One theory is that this is due to our increasing awareness of the passage of time and inevitable mortality. My own experience bears this out: As I age I’m increasingly aware of time passing – and my ultimate death – and I do value relationships as one of the great satisfactions and privileges of life.
Similarly, social scientists have posited that consciousness of growing old is not restricted to humans, as animals also show a tendency for increased relationships as they age. The authors of the article, Rosati et al, studied chimpanzees for many years, and found that old males have more mutual friendships and fewer one-sided friendships than younger males. They socialize together more and groom each other more; in short, they get older together, which is another example of our animal ancestry.
Embracing the Future
The more scientists explore evolution, the more we realize that humans are not unique, and that our behavior and, I believe, even our ability to think and be self-conscious have strong roots in our evolutionary tree.
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