2 Ways to Tell If You’re a Highly Evolved Human

Are our species’ physical changes related to our emotional development?

We aren’t apes anymore. Apes turned into humans. But what will humans be in another few million years? Less human and more…something else? Probably.

Scientists say our species is, in fact, still evolving. There are specific and scientifically provable ways humans are and have been changing over the past few hundred years. I have a hypothesis, though, that there are some behavior traits of more emotionally highly evolved humans that pair with those physical metamorphoses as well.

The body/brain connection conversation these days is very much “chicken or the egg.” Does brain activity change our physical state or does our physical state change our brain activity? The truth is they work together.

And my hypothesis is that some of our emotional evolutions are linked to our physical ones. Are you highly evolved? Read on to find out.

We are getting cooler

A study out of Stanford University published in eLife magazine says the average temperature of humans is lower than it used to be. We have all heard that 98.6 is average, but the most recent data says that’s a bit off. These days, the average temperature for humans is a much cooler 97.9 degrees.

Researchers think this is a good thing. It’s likely linked to improved standards of living and better nutrition and exercise. And, on average, our temperatures will continue to lower about 0.05 degrees Fahrenheit every decade or so.

Do you know what raises body temperature? Anger. Yep. One of the physical effects of anger is a rise in body temperature. So, if you’re an angry person, if you are experiencing the physical effects of anger — increased heart rate, sweaty palms, and you “run hot,” — you might just be less evolved than your cooler-headed friends.

What other emotion is a surefire body temperature raiser? Stress. Yeppers. It may be lauded these days in the workforce, but stress is slowly but surely going the way of the apes. An article in Neuroscience news and research says:

“Emotional stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which leads to physical responses, such as a rise in blood pressure and body temperature, and a faster heart rate.”

The people who rise above stressful and angry situations who can regulate their emotions without affecting their physical state are folks who will be around longer than the hotheads and stressheads.

Perhaps the gradual cooling of humans’ bodies is linked to our increased ability to cope with the stressors of life. Or, perhaps they’re not related. I definitely can say, though, that humans who have worked to gain the tools for emotional regulation are the ones I’d rather hang out with. Apparently, Mother Nature feels the same way.

We are getting lighter

Scientists have found that human bones began to weaken about 12,000 years ago. This adaptation likely coincides with the shift from chasing buffalo on the plains to sowing corn in the soil. But, the fact of the matter is, we’re more brittle than we used to be.

Biological anthropologist Habiba Chirchir says, “Modern humans have less bone density than seen in related species, and it doesn’t matter if we look at bones from people who lived in an industrial society or agriculturalist populations that had a more active life.”

Unlike the cooling body temperatures, this evolutionary adaptation isn’t necessarily a good thing. Because humans have become dangerously sedentary, our bones have become both lighter and more brittle. Evolution doesn’t always move us in a positive direction. Weaker bones, from a natural selection point of view, do not bode well for humans.

But, the beautiful thing about the human spirit is that, unlike physical bones, we become stronger when we have been broken. Every time we rise above a challenge, we gain confidence and experience. There is vast power in resilience. I may be making an absolutely coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs parallel here, but I believe the humans who have been broken and are still around to talk about it are the ones who will prevail.

Adversity brings humility as well. And, from the perspective of continuing to procreate and creating community (which helps us live longer), that’s a good thing. We are drawn to those who are willing to share the fractures in their perfection. They are lighter, but they are stronger in spirit.

Final thoughts

Mother Nature moves slowly, but she also moves definitively. Humans are slowly but surely changing. Evolving. While we likely can’t change our body temperatures or the density of our bones, we do have power over the way we handle situations. We have the tools to be more emotionally evolved humans.

How do we do it? We put ourselves out there, fail epically, and put together the pieces of our broken pride. And we learn to reflect, meditate, and look at the big picture of situations before allowing stress or anger to impact our physical bodies. Here’s hoping humans will still be around to see what we become in a few million years.