Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: David Kahn on 02/09/2008 18:23:59
-
David Kahn asked the Naked Scientists:
Naked Scientists,
Where do you think musical genius comes from from an evolutionary standpoint? How could that have benefited our prehistoric ancestors?
Cheers,
Dave
What do you think?
-
This isn't an answer per se but it is interesting to ponder whether everything necessarily has to have an evolutionary advantage.
Hunter-gatherers (unlike agriculturalists) had plenty of time on their hands to do other things - some modern studies suggest that Bushmen only hunted for 40% of the time.
This would leave time for such things as music making and story telling - things that don't impact upon basic survival. Evolutionary advantage may not be a factor; though we know that the good singers/story tellers tend to be more attractive to/popular with the opposite sex.