Behaviors Society Forgot To Delete
There are lots of human instincts we just don’t need anymore, from craving massive amounts of sugar to being afraid of the dark. Still, many of us can’t help ourselves, and we have our ancestors to thank for that. Instincts that once meant survival can now be a nuisance, but at least they help explain why we do the weird things we do.
1. Fear of the Unknown
Nowadays, children are encouraged to be brave, which means facing unfamiliar territory and trying new things. But despite this, there is an innate fear in every human of the unknown, even if we can overcome it. This comes from prehistoric times, when the unknown was a risk to life.
2. Craving Sugar
We know that those high-sugar foods like cookies and cakes aren’t good for our health, but we can’t help but indulge in them. Well, that’s because sugar was a rich and essential energy source in early diets. It was hard to get in excess, but now, it’s everywhere, which triggers our instinct and causes us to overeat.
3. Partnership
It may seem silly to say love doesn’t make sense anymore, but the instinct to find a partner is kind of outdated. These days, people can fully support themselves on their own; they don’t need anyone to split hunting duties or forage with. Surprisingly, some people even prefer to be single, perhaps showing a shift from our original instinct to pair up.
Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
4. Seeking Status
You might think people are so greedy and narrow-minded, as many are chasing wealth, fame, and status. But establishing statuses is part of our ancestry, as people with higher status always had more access to food, mates, and protection. In that sense, having status is directly correlated with survival.
5. Being Lazy
Why is it so hard to get up and do stuff? Especially when the stuff has just been lying around for days? Well, turns out being lazy is also something we inherited from our ancestors. Calories are innately precious, and exerting yourself was a risk, as you might need that energy later if something attacks you.
6. Seeing Shadows
When you look at a shadow or into the darkness, it might seem like you’re seeing faces or silhouettes. Well, recognizing these patterns would help our early ancestors survive. It was better to mistake a shadow for a predator than be caught unawares by one.
7. Avoiding Change
Why are so many people afraid of change? Well, because stability meant safety, and change means more unknowns. While most change is harmless, or at the very least manageable, back in caveman times, it could spell disaster.
8. Jealousy
Some people can’t help but be jealous of every little thing, while others are happy to have an open relationship. Well, in the past, jealousy helped ensure reproductive success, as a bonded, non-monogamous pair was more successful in protecting one another and procreating. Nowadays, jealousy mostly just complicates and toxifies relationships.
9. Body Hair
Body hair can be annoying, especially if you’re the type who prefers to shave. For a long time, shaving wasn’t a thing, especially for women. But now, cosmetic companies and commercials will convince you it’s the only way to live. If you wonder where all that body hair comes from, you have evolution to thank, as the hair would help us manage temperature and protect against dirt.
10. Having Kids
Having kids is a totally valid and personal choice, but many people have this innate instinct to procreate, even if kids don’t make sense in their lives. If you’ve ever heard of baby fever, well, that’s your instinct at work. However, humans no longer need to drastically procreate to sustain their populations. In fact, it’s the reverse now, with overpopulation being the issue.
11. Fear of the Dark
Many kids might want a nightlight in their room, and even some adults like to leave the hallway light on. There’s no need to be ashamed, as this fear of darkness comes from our ancestral origin. In the past, the dark hid predators and the unknown, and nighttime was very dangerous, as that’s when things like sabretooth tigers would be on the prowl. Our brain still correlates this darkness with danger.
12. Fear of Rejection
No one likes being rejected, but why does it terrify so many of us? In fact, some people won’t even take risks out of fear of rejection. This, too, comes from our ancestors, where rejection could mean being excluded from the tribe, and that exclusion usually meant your life was forfeit. That’s why lots of people to this day may feel anxiety trying new things or speaking up, even though it’s safe to do so now.
13. Loss Aversion
Similar to rejection, we also avoid risks out of fear of losing something. For example, do you find yourself wracked with guilt after spending too much on a shirt, or that you just take your losses harder than your wins? Well, this is because losing resources could mean the end of the line for our ancestors, so they took it very seriously.
14. Cat Naps
It turns out people weren’t meant to sleep for long stretches of time. Even though scientists say you should get your 8 hours, some people find themselves preferring to do small naps throughout the day. This is because extended sleep would make our ancestors vulnerable to ambush. So instead, they would sleep in small stretches.
15. Night Alertness
Have you ever wondered why you get spooked more often at night? Suddenly, you hear noises you didn’t hear in the morning, and you feel a bit watched, too. Well, it’s not a ghost, but instead your instincts at work. Humans are inherently more alert at night and will pick up on things they’d miss during the day. This was once again to identify and protect ourselves from predators at night.
16. Reciprocation
When someone does something nice for you, do you suddenly feel the urge to do something nice in return? Some might call this polite, but it turns out it’s instinctive. Our ancestors lived on a sharing basis in their tribes, and efforts had to be returned as calories were scarce, and an unpaid favor could spell doom for a tribe member.
Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
17. Freezing
Do you ever freeze when something surprising or bad happens? For instance, maybe you drop a spoon, but instead of trying to snag it mid-air, you just stop and watch it fall. Our ancestors would freeze like this in response to sudden movement, to give us a moment to assess before jumping into action.
18. Arachnophobia
Most spiders and creepy crawlies are harmless, but still, lots of people are terrified of them. This is because the bugs our ancestors grew up with were not the ones we’re dealing with now. Bugs and spiders used to be a serious threat, especially the poisonous variants, and so this fear is a leftover.
19. Goosebumps
Why do we get goosebumps when we’re scared? Well, naturally, our arms and legs would be covered with hair, and when we’d get goosebumps, those hairs would stand on end. This would make us appear larger and more intimidating and might help us scare off whatever we’re afraid of.
20. Herd Mentality
People have the mentality to follow others, which might explain why we’ve established big groups from religions to fandoms and so on. Herd mentality has been around since the beginning. For instance, if a caveman saw one of his tribemates running away, he’d run away without asking because that could waste precious time.
