Take a step back in time and imagine you are a hunter-gatherer living 30,000 years ago in prehistoric France. Your survival depends on a few things, like recognizing when there is imminent danger. You certainly can’t afford to mistake a vicious sabre-toothed tiger for a friendly feline.
Since it was crucial that you responded to these potential threats rapidly, you were constantly scanning your surroundings — every movement, every rustle of the bushes. You were vigilant.
When a harmless gecko suddenly crawled past you, your amygdala immediately lit up and registered it as “danger,” even when it posed no real threat.
We also learned a lot about our environment. There wasn’t any written language yet, but we did attach labels to things — at least in our minds. We recognized the sound of a lemur as “safe,” the sight of a blueberry as “delicious and edible,” and the roar of a tiger as “dangerous.”
But we couldn’t just sit around and listen to the beautiful songs of birds all day, endlessly bathe in natural hot springs, or even fully savor the delicious beef we just ate. Sure, we…
