6 Traits That Define Human Nature

6 Traits That Define Human Nature

On a hike across Isla Del Sol in Bolivia a few years ago, I wondered for the first time how many animals walk for pleasure - not to hunt or feed, not to find shelter or warmth, but to enjoy the act of walking itself.

I asked the question on Quora with rather unsatisfactory results. The question came up again on our recent Abel Tasman hike and led me to wonder what other characteristics are unique or largely restricted to humans.

This in turn led me to an old issue of New Scientist magazine and a fascinating series of articles about the six things that all humans do. Some are obvious, others are amusing. All trigger a rush of recognition and a sense of belonging.

1. Be playful

You may have heard that humans and dolphins are the only species that mate for pleasure. This is, perhaps unsurprisingly, not true. Several other animals have sex when reproduction is impossible or unlikely. What's interesting is that few other species are generally as playful as humans.

alt="Uros-floating-islands-Lake Titicaca">Atlas & BootsWomen dancing on Lake Titicaca in Peru

All mammals play, says New Scientist, but no other species pursues such a wide variety of entertainment or spends so much time having fun.

Not only do we enjoy physical activities (sports, games, dancing and even tickling), but we also play with language (making jokes, playing music) and using our imagination. We carry our childhood sense of playfulness into adulthood, which is rare in other species.

2. Be scientific

As children we learn to recognize patterns. We could identify and group all the red Lego bricks, or recognize that a two-piece brick sits on top of another two-piece brick. We find ourselves constantly sorting the world into categories, predicting how things will work, and testing our predictions.

old=““>Atlas & BootsLocals tie reeds to lay foundations on the Uros floating islands in Peru

This, says New Scientist, is the very essence of science and is evident in everything from the determination of time and calendars to our use of units of measurement and our pursuit of cosmic knowledge.

3. Be legislative

Many animals adhere to simple rules of behavior (often related to territory and hierarchy), but none have a sophisticated system of rules, taboos and etiquette like that of humans.

Without studying every community in the world, we can't say for sure whether each one has formal laws, but people naturally tend to have rules. These rules always include behavior in three key areas, a sign that legislation is fundamental to human nature.

The first is kinship: the rights, goods, and status to which one is entitled, as well as the obligations one has to one's relatives (e.g., a daughter inheriting land from her mother, or a father legally obligated to care for his son).

Second is safety: Everyone cares about safety, so every culture has rules governing when someone can kill or injure another person.

Third is the use of objects: The definition of “private property” is far from universal, but societies everywhere have rules that determine who can and cannot use certain things at certain times.

4. Be a connoisseur

For most animals, a meal is just a meal: a way to preserve their bodies so they can continue to live. For people, a meal can be an affair of the heart, a work of art, a vehicle of seduction, an event in and of itself. Friends gather to break bread while families tell stories and argue around the dinner table.

Of course, it's not just our attitude towards food that sets us apart. Cooking, one of humanity's greatest inventions, has made a huge difference.

alt="night-of-three-desserts">Atlas & BootsKia considers three desserts

Harvard University primatologist Richard Wrangham says cooked food, which offers more calories and less chewing, was the key innovation that allowed our ancestors to evolve into intelligent, social creatures.

He notes that chimpanzees spend more than six hours a day chewing; People, less than one, leaving more time for culture and development.

5. Be secretive about sex

It was a visit to the breeding center on San Cristóbal in the Galápagos Islands that changed my opinion about turtles. Until then, I saw them as wise and gentle creatures who trudge slowly and carefully through life. After the visit, they turned into huge, horny creatures who had loud, grunting, and unattractive sex in public.

Of course, that doesn't distinguish them from other creatures except humans, who prefer to have sex in private. One could say this is due to centuries of social conditioning, but scientists suspect a deeper reason. Secret mating occurs between species with a lot of competition between males, says Clive Wynne, a professor of psychology at the University of Florida.

Donald Symons, anthropologist and author of The Evolution of Human Sexuality, says that men view sex as a precious commodity and therefore "enjoy it in secret to avoid covetousness."

Harvard professor Steven Pinker agrees: "This is for the same reason that during a famine, anyone who has food is likely to consume it privately."

In short, it is not shame that drives secret copulation, but envy and competition.

6. Be gossipy

There's a rather unkind comment from a columnist about the British actress Keira Knightley: "If you want to befriend a woman, ask her the question, 'What do you think of Keira Knightley?' In the resulting torrent of bile and loathing, you'll bond."

alt=“Travel Skills: Talking to Strangers”>Atlas & BootsLocals meet at Café El-Fishawy in Cairo

It's true: People use gossip to strengthen relationships, says Robin Dunbar, author of Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language. He believes gossip is the human equivalent of primate grooming.

We have too many relationships to maintain through time-consuming nurturing, so we entertain ourselves instead: "Gossip evolved to oil the wheels of social interaction," says Dunbar—a maxim that applies to everyone from schoolchildren to the world's most powerful leaders.

What's interesting is that gossip is not inherently negative. In his research, Dunbar found that negative comments were far less common than innocuous observations on a topic. Essentially, it's not that we like to complain; It's just that we like to talk. Unless, of course, it's about Keira Knightley.

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