Why are Humans very Creative?

[IAstroViz]

We Humans were always creative. As Neandertalers we created tools to survive and artwork to show heritage. But why? Why do we do this? Why aren't we like the other living beings on earth, that 'do what they have to do'? Why do we sometimes want to know more than we have to?

 

Our human nature is very interesting. It reacts to differently to other situations. That's why humans are called intelligent beings. What are your thoughts?

 

IAstroViz

[Phi for All]

When we left the trees and started to walk upright, we freed our hands for more more dexterous behavior. One of the big benefits of that (besides the obvious tool use) was discovering what fire does to food. Our gut was reduced after we started cooking, and that led to even more development of an upright gate.

 

I think it was when we discovered that plants grew where we discarded the seeds from last year, and started the first farming efforts, that really gave us the spare time off from hunting and gathering to use our imaginations. There was never a time before this when humans weren't always looking for their next meal. Agriculture allowed humans the time to do other things, and because intelligence also feeds curiosity, creativity would seem to flow naturally from there.

 

And it's easy to see how evolution helped us in this, because anyone creative enough to invent something that helped early humans to survive would be selected for. The human who first strung some animal teeth on a piece of sinew and wore it around their neck would have been very popular, no?

[MonDie]

Creativity seemed to evolved gradually, but I think you're wondering why we exhibit creative behaviors with no apparent survival value.

 

Creativity and imitation are more apparent in animals with a higher brain-to-body mass ratio. For example chimps, and especially dolphins. Birds and mammals are endotherms with larger brains, and they also spend more time rearing, in which they show their offspring how to survive.

 

Phi for all is right that we had a lot more free time after the agricultural revolution, but we also have some unique intellectual capacities. So far, no other animal is known to have language (although some speculate that dolphins might). Our capacity for language probably appeared with the FOXP2 gene.

Although it's somewhat debatable because self-awareness is difficult to measure, we have a greater capacity to recognize ourselves in mirrors. Not to get too speculative, but it's as if we're imagining ourselves from a third-person perspective, imagining how we appear to others. Machiavellien intelligence, i.e. the capacity for deception and manipulation, is another form of intelligence at which we excel.

Edited May 4, 2015 by MonDie

[Phi for All]

Phi for all is right that we had a lot more free time after the agricultural revolution, but we also have some unique intellectual capacities. So far, no other animal is known to have language (although some speculate that dolphins might). Our capacity for language probably appeared with the FOXP2 gene.

 

I would broaden language to include extraordinary communication skills. You're right, this plays a huge part in our creativity, especially when we're in groups. We even get creative with our communication, like in music and poetry.

[MonDie]

 

I would broaden language to include extraordinary communication skills. You're right, this plays a huge part in our creativity, especially when we're in groups. We even get creative with our communication, like in music and poetry.

 

Yes, communication or thought transmission. If other animals had equally complex thoughts as we, would they be able to communicate them? Chimps' short-term memory far surpasses ours, so perhaps their working memory does too, which I would posit as an important factor in thought-complexity.

Edited May 4, 2015 by MonDie

[Phi for All]

Imagination allows us to think ahead based on what we already know. This seems to be at the core of many of our actions, and one that isn't exhibited to such a degree by any other animal I know. We can envision outcomes over time, whether we're affecting them or not.

 

We can look in the shadows and imagine possible dangers, and how we might overcome them if they ever become real. We can watch an avalanche happen, then imagine causing one on purpose to trap prey. Couple that with our tool-use and communication skills, and it's easy to see why imagination and creativity were prized and became a big part of our evolutionary behavior.

[michel123456]

We Humans were always creative. As Neandertalers we created tools to survive and artwork to show heritage. But why? Why do we do this? Why aren't we like the other living beings on earth, that 'do what they have to do'? Why do we sometimes want to know more than we have to?

 

Our human nature is very interesting. It reacts to differently to other situations. That's why humans are called intelligent beings. What are your thoughts?

 

IAstroViz

And created weapons.

Or maybe I am wrong and Neanderthalers were clever than us and did not create weapons for killing other humans that's why they were exterminated by Homo sapiens sapiens. Who knows?

[Phi for All]

And created weapons.

 

And medicine. We do seem to love creating problems to fix. Maybe that's our real creativity.

[MonDie]

Whoops, I accidentally broke my promise.