Though many of us might assume that our big brains came about in a cutthroat struggle for survival, new research implies that cooperation may actually have been the driver behind the development of human intelligence. Researchers used computer models of organisms with simple artificial brains, and had them play games simulating human social interactions. Individuals that were successful at the games were allowed to reproduce within the model and spread their genes. The researchers found that it was cooperation that led to the selection of the biggest brains.
Teamwork requires complex coordination and communication between individuals, so it makes sense that it would lead to selection for bigger brains. Could humanity’s impressive intelligence be rooted in our desire to cooperate with one another for the good of the group? These findings offer evidence that it might indeed have been teamwork that made us human.