![]() 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. ![]() Norton & Company, 312 pages).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. BOOK REVIEW - “Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond,” by Lydia Denworth (W. ![]()
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