random silly thought

[jinian]

Human brains have gotten much bigger during our evolution, but some cases of midgets and hydrocephaly prove that the brain doesn't necessarily have to be as large as it often is. So why is it big?

Well, maybe being social is assisted by a large facial area. Increased facility for expression is given by the angles of the human face (as opposed to chimpanzees even), and maybe it's useful to be able to see your tribe looking at you from a distance. So the head got bigger as a social advantage and the brain grew to fill the available space.

Look at me, I'm Desmond Morris!

Comments

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

You're far prettier than Desmond. You're also far more 1337.

[seanmcguire.livejournal.com]

More brain tissue -> more brain tissue that can get fucked over and still leave you functioning.

Of course, less brain tissue -> smaller heads -> fewer deaths during child birth. Same argument for smaller faces. But more brain tissue was probably more important when we got knocked around a lot more often.

Having a larger face could be very useful, though... I dated a rather petite woman once, and when we were, hmmm, intimately interacting, I could not tell from her facial expression if she was enjoying herself or if she was in extreme agony. It was somewhat disturbing.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Look at me, I'm Desmond Morris!

{laughs and laughs}

Eep.

{afterchortles}