BEHAVIOR

Homo sapiens: wise man. Human behavior is a complex field of study, often proving unpredictable and contentious. Yet we can garner patterns based on evolutionary psychology and understand some of the fundamentals that shape the way we behave. So far, we’ve proven ourselves more clever than wise.

Humans are tribal in nature; we are ultrasocial; we are competitive; we are cooperative; we hate to lose more than we love to win; we seek status; we value the present more than the future; and most of all we are heavily influenced by our culture, which can shift rapidly given the right conditions.

Our modern economy co-opts the parts of our brain inclined toward material consumption through an excess of wealth and stuff that we don’t really need—or even want. Ultimately, after basic needs are met, the best things in life are free.