A key insight or dreconceptualization
samoudomowienie Homo Sapiens

Self-domestication in Homo sapiens

The concept of self-domestication in Homo sapiens draws significant parallels between human evolution and the domestication of animals such as dogs. For the record, domestication is distinct from taming, which is an individual process that does not influence genetics. Domestication leads to permanent, heritable changes in morphology and behavior under the influence of the human-created environment, including culture. A key piece of evidence for this incredibly rapid rate of genetic change is Dmitry Belyaev's experiment with silver foxes. It demonstrated that selection for docility over just twenty generations resulted in canine-like traits in the foxes: changes in coat color, shorter snouts, and significant hormonal shifts—a decrease in adrenaline levels in favor of the "happiness hormone," serotonin.

In the human context, the coevolution of culture and genetics plays a key role. According to Joseph Henrich, culture domesticates our species by favoring individuals capable of learning through imitation and instinctively adhering to group norms. For millennia, human societies have exerted selective pressures that promote cooperation and suppress antisocial behaviors such as aggression and extreme selfishness. This process has led to the development of a "psychology of norms," ​​causing people to often follow rules without thought and biologically prefer individuals similar to themselves in terms of language, rituals, and even appearance (race).

Modern evolution also manifests itself in physiology. The ability to read and write permanently alters the structure of the brain (occipitotemporal regions), making contemporary populations neuroanatomically distinct from historical societies. Furthermore, research on the Microcephalin gene suggests that brain evolution is still progressing and varies regionally (racially).

However, the author highlights mechanisms that inhibit these processes, known as evolutionary traps. One of these was the "urban cemetery effect," whereby historic cities, despite their cultural development, were characterized by low fertility, preventing acquired traits from being passed on. Celibacy in religious orders operated similarly, eliminating from the gene pool those individuals best suited to function within civilizational structures, constituting a form of negative selection, hindering biological evolution.