A distinguishing characteristic of humans which set the human race apart from non-human species is the ability to thrive in various social settings. A research paper, published in the journal Nature, has provided important new clues to how humans network and socialise today by exploring the evolutionary history of social groupings among primates. Their key finding is that the main step change in social behaviour occurred when primates switched from being mainly active at night to being more active during the day. Primates started out as solitary foragers as by night they could survive by moving quietly on their own in the dark. However, once they switched to daytime activity, they could be seen and were more vulnerable to attack by predators unless they could show strength in numbers. This research paper provides evidence to show that this switch in activity coincided with a significant change in social behaviour as primates started to 'gang up' for the first time. The researchers conclude that social bonding began as a way of adapting to a new threat. This change also meant an alteration in how food was retrieved. Going from solitary foragers to large mixed group gathers and new developments of extended interpersonal networks was an evolutionary catalyst for the the sociable traits that distinguish us today.
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