Small-scale Societies Research Articles

Metabolic scaling, energy allocation tradeoffs, and the evolution of humans’ unique metabolism

All organisms use limited energy to grow, survive, and reproduce, necessitating energy allocation tradeoffs, but there is debate over how selection impacted metabolic budgets and tradeoffs in primates, including humans. Here, we develop a method to compare metabolic rates as quotients of observed relative to expected values for mammals corrected for size, body composition, environmental temperature, and phylogenetic relatedness. Contrary to previous analyses, these quotients reveal that nonhuman primates have total metabolic rates expected for similar-sized mammals in similar environments. In addition, data from several small-scale societies show that humans evolved exceptionally high resting, activity, and total metabolic rates apparently by overcoming tradeoffs between resting and active energy expenditures that constrain other primates. Enhanced metabolic rates help humans fuel expanded brains, faster reproductive rates, extended longevity, and high percentage of body fat.

Two tiers, not one: Different sources of extrinsic mortality have opposing effects on life history traits.

Guided by concepts from life history (LH) theory, a large human research literature has tested the hypothesis that exposures to extrinsic mortality (EM) promote the development of faster LH strategies (e.g., earlier/faster reproduction, higher offspring number). A competing model proposes that, because EM in the past was intimately linked to energetic constraints, such exposures specifically led to the development of slower LH strategies. We empirically address this debate by examining (1) LH variation among small-scale societies under different environmental conditions; (2) country-, regional- and community-level correlations between ecological conditions, mortality, maturational timing, and fertility; (3) individual-level correlations between this same set of factors; and (4) natural experiments leveraging the impact of externally-caused changes in mortality on LH traits. Partially supporting each model, we found that harsh conditions encompassing energetic stress and ambient cues to EM (external cues received through sensory systems) have countervailing effects on the development of LH strategies, both delaying pubertal maturation and promoting an accelerated pace of reproduction and higher offspring number. We conclude that, although energetics are fundamental to many developmental processes, providing a first tier of environmental influence, this first tier alone cannot explain these countervailing effects. An important second tier of environmental influence is afforded by ambient cues to EM. We advance a 2-tiered model that delineates this second tier and its central role in regulating development of LH strategies. Consideration of the first and second tier together is necessary to account for the observed countervailing shifts toward both slower and faster LH traits.

Health behaviour and well-being in the Faroe Islands prior to and during the first COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract Detrimental effects on health and well-being were reported during the COVID-19-induced lockdown periods in several countries, but these associations have not been studied in small-scale island societies. This study aimed to examine the lockdown period’s impact on health behaviour, social media use and measures of well-being in the Faroe Islands. We used cross-sectional data from two extensive population-based surveys of public health conducted in November 2019, the pre-COVID survey (n = 2906), and 4-6 weeks into the first national lockdown, the lockdown survey (n = 1204). A larger proportion of participants in the lockdown vs. pre-COVID survey people reported high physical activity levels (42.1 vs 30.7% p < 0.001), while nutritional habits were rated worse and social media usage increased. Furthermore, the proportion displaying excellent/very good self-rated health was larger in the lockdown vs. pre-COVID survey (68.1 vs 62.0% p < 0.001), and the same pattern was observed for reporting good quality of life (85.7 vs 82.7% p < 0.05). These associations remained statistically significant in a logistic regression model after adjusting for characteristics for which varying impact of the pandemic has been shown. Indicators of health behaviour showed that larger proportions of participants kept active during the lockdown vs pre-COVID survey, and these differences were statistically significant for physical, mental, and spiritual activities (p < 0.001). On the other hand, similar stress levels in the pre-COVID/lockdown periods were observed, but stratified analysis showed that participants with a high-stress level displayed better self-rated health in the lockdown period compared to the pre-COVID period (p = 0.001). Conclusions Findings indicate that self-reported health and quality of life improved during the early phase of the COVID lockdown, and individuals reported higher activity levels associated with good mental health during the COVID-19-induced lockdown period. Key messages • Physical activity improved, but dietary habits worsened during initial COVID-19 lockdown in the Faroe Islands. • Measures of wellbeing and quality of life improved during initial COVID-19 lockdown in the Faroe Islands, while there was no overall difference regarding stress levels.

Subjective well-being across the life course among non-industrialized populations.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is often described as being U-shaped over adulthood, declining to a midlife slump and then improving thereafter. Improved SWB in later adulthood has been considered a paradox given age-related declines in health and social losses. While SWB has mostly been studied in high-income countries, it remains largely unexplored in rural subsistence populations lacking formal institutions that reliably promote social welfare. Here, we evaluate the age profile of SWB among three small-scale subsistence societies (n = 468; study 1), forest users from 23 low-income countries (n = 6987; study 2), and Tsimane' horticulturalists (n = 1872; study 3). Across multiple specifications, we find variability in SWB age profiles. In some cases, we find no age-related differences in SWB or even inverted U-shapes. Adjusting for confounders reduces observed age effects. Our findings highlight variability in average well-being trajectories over the life course. Ensuring successful aging will require a greater focus on cultural and socioecological determinants of individual trajectories.

Sacrifice, Secrecy, and Sexual Conflict in Small-Scale Religions

Purzycki and Sosis provide a functionalist account of religion, viewing it as an evolved system designed to help individuals and groups navigate the recurrent social dilemmas that humans face across diverse socioecological contexts. I discuss their framework in relation to ethnographic case studies involving human sacrifice, ritual secrecy, and sexual conflict in small-scale societies. I argue that, while there is a great deal in the ethnohistorical record that the authors’ framework probably cannot satisfactorily account for, it does represent a useful lens for understanding some religious systems and practices.

Land-use and ceramics in the Andean highlands of Patagonia, Argentina

The aim of this paper is to study the use of ceramics of small-scale societies during the late Holocene in northern Patagonia. The technological investment model predicts that use-time and utility will determine the investment spent in ceramics. We explore how ceramics were used in short-term camps and aggregation sites during summer at high elevations, and residential camps during winter at lower elevations. To test the investment in ceramics we use four technological variables: temper size, average thickness, surface treatment and firing. Our results indicate that hunter-gatherers expected a short-term use in summer locations and therefore made a low investment in ceramics.

Height and integration in proximity networks among Tanzanian Hadza men.

In recent years there has been much interest in investigating the extent to which social status or prestige are related to an individual's degree of integration in social networks. It has been shown that, among hunter-gatherers, social characteristics of an individual based on social status or prestige, such foraging reputation, friendship popularity, and pro-social reputation, can influence the extent to which an individual is embedded in a social network. However, little is known regarding the extent to which height, a physical trait that in Western societies is often associated with social status, is associated in integration in social networks among small-scale hunter gatherers. Here, we investigated the relationship between height and a position an individual occupies in proximity networks among Hadza men (n = 30), hunter-gatherers living in Northern Tanzania. The results of our study show that height is not related to the position an individual maintains in proximity networks. We argue that, in a relatively egalitarian small-scale hunter-gatherer societies such as the Hadza, social interactions driving proximity networks might be influenced by social traits, such as popularity and hunting reputation, rather than physical traits, such as height.

The evolutionary basis of elevated testosterone in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an overview of systematic reviews of the evidence.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibits high prevalence and heritability despite causing negative impacts on fertility and fecundity. Previous hypotheses have postulated that some PCOS-associated traits, especially above-average levels of testosterone, were associated with benefits in ancestral environments. As such, PCOS would represent, in part, a maladaptive extreme of adaptations related to relatively high testosterone. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a series of systematic literature reviews on the associations of testosterone levels, and prenatal testosterone metrics, with measures of strength, robustness, muscularity, and athleticism in females. We also systematically reviewed the literature on associations of testosterone with dominance in females and reviewed archaeological evidence concerning female strength and muscularity and its correlates. The main findings were fivefold: (1) elevated testosterone levels were generally associated with higher strength, muscularity and athleticism in females; (2) females with PCOS showed notable evidence of increased strength, muscularity, and athleticism compared to controls; (3) females with higher testosterone levels exhibited clear evidence of high dominance, (4) despite evidence that higher testosterone is linked with higher bone mineral density in healthy females, PCOS was not clearly associated with this phenotype; and (5) archaeological evidence from osteology, and data from some current small-scale societies, indicated that females often exhibit substantial levels of muscularity. Overall, the hypothesis that relatively high levels of testosterone are associated with benefits to females in some contexts was largely supported. These results provide evidence for the "maladaptive extremes of adaptation" model, with implications for treatment of females with PCOS and for future research.

Old Testament hospitality as reciprocity, Adam Smith and business ethics

This article aims to underscore the progression of Old Testament hospitality as reciprocity for moral guidance and, specifically, business ethics in contemporary society. The study follows a comparative analysis of Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in the work of Adam Smith that emphasises the role of mutual relations and voluntary exchange. It will be argued that reciprocity associated with hospitality in the Old Testament is an important principle that further developed in classic economics and provides ethical principles for contemporary large-scale, multi-cultural and multi-faith societies, although different from the small-scale societies of the Old Testament world. The interface of mutual relations and voluntary exchange in Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in Smith unveils important ethical principles for contemporary business ethics regarding responsibility and accountability.Contribution: The comparative analysis of Old Testament hospitality and reciprocity in Adam Smith’s work provides ethical principles based on mutual relations and voluntary exchange for contemporary, multi-cultural and multi-faith society, specifically in business ethics.

Evaluation of a football fitness implementation initiative for an older adult population in a small-scale island society.

The proportion of older people increases globally, which calls for sustainable interventions promoting healthy aging. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the potential of Football Fitness as a sustainable model to promote quality of life, mental health, and physical function for older adult. The study was conducted in collaboration with a municipality, a football club, and a university, and was designed as a randomized controlled trial. A total of 66 people (34 women, 32 men) older than 60 years were randomly assigned (60/40) to a Football Fitness (FOT) (n = 38, 20 women, 18 men) and a control group (CON) (n = 28, 14 women, 14 men). FOT participated in Football Fitness for 12 weeks. Quality of life (QoL) and mental wellbeing were determined pre-and post-intervention. Physical loading and Flow experience were measured in one representative training session. Blood pressure (BP), Yo-Yo Intermittent endurance test level 1 (Yo-Yo IE1), sprint performance, postural balance, and body composition were also performed pre-and post-intervention. An improvement in mental wellbeing was observed for both groups from pre- to post-intervention (p values <0.001) with no between-group differences. Regarding QoL, the environment domain improved in FOT compared to CON (p = 0.02). Mean Flow (M = 5.69; SD = 1.07) and perceived importance (M = 4.20; SD = 1.42) and average experienced difficulty was M = 5.23 (SD = 2.67), perceived skill (M = 5.23; SD = 2.56), and perceived balance (M = 5.64; SD = 1.56). These levels of flow can be characterized as being high. A between-group effect (p = 0.02) existed for systolic BP, which decreased (p < 0.01) by -5% [-8; -1%] in CON and remained unchanged in FOT. Both groups improved the Yo-Yo IE1 to a similar extent, with 28% [11; 44%] (p = 0.001) in FOT and 27% [9; 46%] in CON (p = 0.005). Postural balance improved (p = 0.004) by 38% [13; 63%] in FOT only, resulting in a superior (p = 0.01) balance score in FOT compared to CON post-intervention (p = 0.004). Football Fitness improved the environmental quality of life domain and postural balance in older adults. Additionally, it appears to be a feasible group activity for older adults that promotes high flow and physical loading during training.

“What Is Your Primary Language?”: Spatial Considerations of Primary Language Identification in a Multilingual Rural Region

In small-scale multilingual societies, an individual uses a large number of languages and usually identifies one of them as the primary language. Although empirically observable, primary language has been significantly underexplored, particularly the spatiality of its identification. It is not clear whether and how place is related to why one language might be seen as being more significant than other languages. This study predicts the primary language used by multilingual individuals in an indigenous rural region of Cameroon based on two types of place: the residence of multilingual individuals and the birthplace of their family members. The research goals are supported by a random forest model using spatial-sociolinguistic data of the region. Results show that primary language can be predicted at a high accuracy. The residence of multilingual individuals and the birthplace of their family members capture the spatiality behind primary language identification. This work adds to the current discussion of the space–language connection and is valuable for maintaining the endangered languages in small-scale rural societies.

Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures

Humans produce two forms of cognitively complex vocalizations: speech and song. It is debated whether these differ based primarily on culturally specific, learned features, or if acoustical features can reliably distinguish them. We study the spectro-temporal modulation patterns of vocalizations produced by 369 people living in 21 urban, rural, and small-scale societies across six continents. Specific ranges of spectral and temporal modulations, overlapping within categories and across societies, significantly differentiate speech from song. Machine-learning classification shows that this effect is cross-culturally robust, vocalizations being reliably classified solely from their spectro-temporal features across all 21 societies. Listeners unfamiliar with the cultures classify these vocalizations using similar spectro-temporal cues as the machine learning algorithm. Finally, spectro-temporal features are better able to discriminate song from speech than a broad range of other acoustical variables, suggesting that spectro-temporal modulation—a key feature of auditory neuronal tuning—accounts for a fundamental difference between these categories.

The Aesthetic Mediation of Cultural Memory: Two Case Studies from Papua New Guinea and Kimberley, Australia

Abstract I offer an analysis of the role of aesthetic value in the formation of cultural memory. More specifically, I examine how cultural memory is formed through cultural artifacts that embody a connection to the past via aesthetic means. My approach is motivated by artifacts from small-scale preindustrial societies, which make it apparent that aesthetic values, rather than being pursued for their own sake alone, enhance other functions, such as maintaining cultural identity and bringing the past into the present. I focus on rock art painting from the Kimberley, Australia, and effigies animated during rituals in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea to argue that, to play a significant role in the formation of cultural memory, aesthetic value must be aligned with implicit conceptions of time which inform the production of artifacts mediating cultural memory. This argument has implications for understanding differences in apprehending memory values and aesthetic values across cultural domains.

Herding Games and Socialisation into Pastoral Linguacultural Practices

Herding Games and Socialisation into Pastoral Linguacultural Practices

Institutional complexity emerges from socioecological complexity in small-scale human societies.

Human lifestyles vary enormously over time and space and so understanding the origins of this diversity has always been a central focus of anthropology. A major source of this cultural variation is the variation in institutional complexity: the cultural packages of rules, norms, ontologies and expectations passed down through societies across generations. In this article, we study the emergence of institutions in small-scale societies. There are two primary schools of thought. The first is that institutions emerge top-down as rules are imposed by elites on their societies in order to gain asymmetrical access to power, resources and influence over others through coercion. The second is that institutions emerge bottom-up to facilitate interactions within populations as they seek collective solutions to adaptive problems. Here, we use Bayesian networks to infer the causal structure of institutional complexity in 172 small-scale societies across ethnohistoric western North America reflecting the wide diversity of indigenous lifestyles across this vast region immediately prior to European colonization. Our results suggest that institutional complexity emerges from underlying socioecological complexity because institutions are solutions to coordination problems in more complex environments where human-environment interactions require increased management.

The anthropocentrism thesis: (mis)interpreting environmental values in small-scale societies

In both radical and mainstream environmental discourses, anthropocentrism (human centredness) is inextricably linked to modern industrial society's drive to control and dominate nature and the generation of our current environmental crisis. Such environmental discourses frequently argue for a retreat from anthropocentrism and the establishment of a harmonious relationship with nature, often invoking the supposed ecological harmony of indigenous peoples and/or other small-scale societies. In particular, the beliefs and values of these societies vis-à-vis their natural environment are taken to be instrumental in their low environmental impact. Here it is argued that, aside from the empirically problematic nature of such claims, the beliefs of small-scale societies have been seen through an ethnocentric discursive framework which bifurcates belief systems into anthropocentric and ecocentric. Taking a meta-theoretical approach informed by Strong Structuration Theory, it is argued that the beliefs of small-scale societies about their relationship with nature should be recognised as lying on a continuum of anthropocentrism and understood in the context of their attempts to establish ‘environmental ontological security’ in the face of natural uncertainty.

As Proficient as Adults: Distribution of Children’s Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in an Arid Environment in Madagascar

In drylands, where resources are scarce, wild edible plant (WEP) knowledge is crucial to overcome food scarcity. Understanding the distribution pattern of local ecological knowledge (LEK) about WEP and identifying knowledge holders are key steps to assessing the resilience and vulnerability of knowledge systems. However, little is known about how WEP knowledge is distributed across life stages and gender of people living in arid regions. Here, we study the distribution of WEP knowledge within a small-scale society from southwestern Madagascar, a region known for its dry climate and related food crises. We worked with Tanalana male and female children and adults using semi-structured interviews and free listings. Tanalana people display a sophisticated LEK adapted to the extreme environment in which they live, with a distinct distribution pattern regarding theoretical and practical knowledge across life stages and gender. While women and men cited similar WEP, children and adults cited different sets of WEP, suggesting they hold differentiated bodies of theoretical knowledge, however our results suggest similarity in practical knowledge across life-stage and gender. We argue that resource limitation and food scarcity might be so pervasive in the area that extensive sharing of knowledge on WEP could be an adaptation to the extremely dry environment.

Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya

Background Pastoralists live in challenging environments, which may be accompanied by unique activity, energy, and water requirements. Aim Few studies have examined whether the demands of pastoralism contribute to differences in total energy expenditure (TEE) and water turnover (WT) compared to other lifestyles. Subjects and methods Accelerometer-derived physical activity, doubly labelled water-derived TEE and WT, and anthropometric data were collected for 34 semi-nomadic Daasanach adults from three northern Kenyan communities with different levels of pastoralist activity. Daasanach TEEs and WTs were compared to those of other small-scale and industrialised populations. Results When modelled as a function of fat-free-mass, fat-mass, age, and sex, TEE did not differ between Daasanach communities. Daasanach TEE (1564–4172 kcal/day) was not significantly correlated with activity and 91% of TEEs were within the range expected for individuals from comparison populations. Mean WT did not differ between Daasanach communities; Daasanach absolute (7.54 litres/day men; 7.46 litres/day women), mass-adjusted, and TEE-adjusted WT was higher than most populations worldwide. Conclusions The similar mass-adjusted TEE of Daasanach and industrialised populations supports the hypothesis that habitual TEE is constrained, with physically demanding lifestyles necessitating trade-offs in energy allocation. Elevated WT in the absence of elevated TEE likely reflects a demanding active lifestyle in a hot, arid climate.

The Agential View of Misfortune

In many traditional, small-scale societies, death and other misfortunes are commonly explained as a result of others’ malign occult agency. Here, we call this family of epistemic tendencies “the agential view of misfortune.” After reviewing several ethnographic case studies that illustrate this view, we argue that its origins and stability are puzzling from an evolutionary perspective. Not only is the agential view of misfortune false; it imposes costs on individuals and social groups that seem to far outweigh whatever benefits the view might provide. We thus doubt that the agential view of misfortune is explainable in terms of adaptive effects. However, neither does it seem readily explainable as a consequence of belief formation strategies that are on the whole adaptive (as is plausibly the case for certain other of our false beliefs, including some that are costly). Accordingly, we contend that the commonness of the agential view of misfortune demands a special evolutionary explanation of some kind. We provide a partial explanation of this phenomenon by highlighting the adaptive benefits that often flow to occult specialists in environments where the agential view of misfortune is entrenched. What this does not explain, however, is the general lack of resistance we observe in response to occultists’ exploitative behaviours over (cultural) evolutionary timescales. We conclude by canvassing a few possible explanations for this puzzling lack of resistance, and while we commit ourselves to none, we do find one option more promising than the others.

Women’s subsistence strategies predict fertility across cultures, but context matters

While it is commonly assumed that farmers have higher, and foragers lower, fertility compared to populations practicing other forms of subsistence, robust supportive evidence is lacking. We tested whether subsistence activities-incorporating market integration-are associated with fertility in 10,250 women from 27 small-scale societies and found considerable variation in fertility. This variation did not align with group-level subsistence typologies. Societies labeled as "farmers" did not have higher fertility than others, while "foragers" did not have lower fertility. However, at the individual level, we found strong evidence that fertility was positively associated with farming and moderate evidence of a negative relationship between foraging and fertility. Markers of market integration were strongly negatively correlated with fertility. Despite strong cross-cultural evidence, these relationships were not consistent in all populations, highlighting the importance of the socioecological context, which likely influences the diverse mechanisms driving the relationship between fertility and subsistence.