According to this theory, the fittest groups of individuals might have been the ones better than other groups at forming supportive social ties - essentially, the ones whose members were good at making friends. However, Denworth fails to mention the hotly debated attendant theory of “ group selection,” which seems just as relevant to the genesis of friendship. This theory does lend some insight into what drives us to be sociable. “It’s a necessity that is critical to our ability to succeed and thrive.”ĭenworth foregrounds her argument with British biologist William Hamilton’s theory that those animals that cooperated with relatives - whether close or distant - would have benefited by promoting the survival of genes like their own.

“Friendship is not a choice or a luxury,” Denworth asserts.

Among the Cayo macaques, biologist Lauren Brent reports, those with the strongest social networks have lower levels of stress hormones - a factor known to buffer against disease. Friendship isn’t just “ the leavening in our lives” it evolved because it has a direct bearing on our mental and physical health. For centuries, Denworth notes in “Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond,” our desire to make friends “was considered purely cultural, an invention of human society - and modern human society at that.”īut Denworth marshals new evidence that in friendship, as in so many areas, we’re not all that different from our primate forebears. Among these gregarious macaques, cliques, best-friend pairs, and social climbers are all much in evidence, giving scientists a close look at the primate origins of our drive to affiliate.Īs science journalist Lydia Denworth visited places like Cayo, she grew convinced that humans’ social connectedness was far more deep-rooted, and far more biological, than experts had long assumed. Yet this palm-fringed haven - home to about 1,000 rhesus macaques-can feel strangely similar to a weekend watering hole or middle-school cafeteria. O n the Puerto Rican island of Cayo Santiago, it’s the monkeys, not the humans, who are in charge.

Friendship lydia denworth