Women really do run the world: How femininity may have shaped modern society

 

 

There may be more advantages to having a gentler personality than we think: a new study suggests a "feminine" mindset that prioritizes cooperation over aggression may have helped humans advance over the last 50,000 years.

 

In their study, Robert Cieri, Steven Churchill, Robert Franciscus, Jingzhi Tan and Brian Hare said craniofacial feminization—or more feminine faces—reflect social tolerance and cooperative cultural behaviors.

 

"We argue that temporal changes in human craniofacial morphology reflect reductions in average androgen reactivity (lower levels of adult circulating testosterone or reduced androgen receptor densities), which in turn reflect the evolution of enhanced social tolerance since the Middle Pleistocene," they said.

 

A separate report on NewsEveryday.com said the researchers used facial measurements from more than 1,400 ancient and modern human skulls.

 

It said the study, which appeared Aug. 1 in the journal Current Anthropology, found changes in human skulls including lower testosterone levels at around the same time culture was blooming.

 

An emerging trend indicated a reduction in the brow ridge and shortening of the upper face, which may suggest a reduction in testosterone.

 

"The modern human behaviors of technological innovation, making art and rapid cultural exchange probably came at the same time that we developed a more cooperative temperament," it quoted Cieri as saying.

 

"If prehistoric people began living closer together and passing down new technologies, they'd have to be tolerant of each other. The key to our success is the ability to cooperate and get along and learn from one another," Cieri added.

 

On the other hand, the Duke study said living together and cooperating may have prioritized agreeableness and lowered aggression. This may have led to changed faces and more cultural exchange. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News