– Why do we scream when something painful happens to us?
In: 441
Humans are social creatures, evolved to live in groups. Screaming at danger can provide two benefits: The first is the obvious potential for the rest of the group to come help you deal with the danger and so increase your chances of survival. Another less obvious benefit is that screaming when in danger can help *the rest of the group survive*!
Remember that evolution acts on the level of the gene, not the individual. A group of animals with a shared genetic heritage that has the trait to raise the alarm when one is harmed can benefit even if the alarmed animal doesn’t survive. By alerting the others to danger their chances of survival increase, passing along the trait to other creatures.
Latest Answers