In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers found that people with schizophrenia are at higher risk of developing schizophrenia. The findings may offer clues as to how altered mental states may have contributed to the development of the human mind.
Co-leader of the study, of the University of Warwick, Dr. Adriano Lameira said: “Every culture has developed certain and unique rituals, practices, or rites that allow its members to escape from reality. The fact that this behavior is so universal throughout history and culture suggests that the human tendency to seek modified experiences may have been inherited from our evolutionary ancestors.”
If this is the case, it will have a significant impact on how we perceive the mental and emotional demands of contemporary humans. The research team stumbled upon a popular YouTube video of a male gorilla spinning in a pond, and when they searched further on YouTube, they found other examples of spinning activity in gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.
The researchers discovered that primates spin an average of three times for each spin segment in more than 40 web movies, and do so on average 1,5 times at a rate of 5,5 spins per second.
The researchers studied the rotational speed of the great apes and found that they could spin as fast as professional human dancers, circus performers, and whirling dervishes by holding on to a string.
Dr. “Turning disrupts our state of consciousness, impairs our body-mind responses and coordination, causing us to feel nauseous, dizzy, and even ecstatic, as with teenagers playing in carousels, spinning tops and carousels,” Lameira added.
“With this study, we sought to determine whether turning could be seen as a primitive habit that our ancestors could do on their own and reach other levels of awareness. If all great apes are doing this, the chances are that our ancestors may have sought vertigo.”
We considered the importance of these behaviors in relation to the development of the human mind.
“The monkeys were actively moving in this way, almost as if they were dancing; This is a well-known human technique based on rotational movements and used to regulate mood, strengthen social bonds and increase the senses. It was not just a coincidence that what apes did and what humans did was similar.”
Primates turned the fastest and longest in images where they used ropes or vines for support.
The research team analyzed the films and compared them with purposeful human pirouettes, such as ballet dance, traditional Hopak dance, whirling dervish performances, and air silk performances.
The researchers then tried spinning themselves at these speeds and found that it was difficult to achieve third-round spins at these speeds, as great apes do. The monkeys in the videos were visibly disoriented at that moment and would likely lose their balance and collapse to the ground.
Co-leader of the study and Associate Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham, Dr. According to Marcus Perlman, this shows that primates deliberately continue to spin even after they begin to feel dizzy.
However, it is unclear whether these or other substances were available to early humans, either because they were not found in their environment or because humans and communities did not have the technical and cultural knowledge to produce or process psychoactive substances. Previous studies trying to understand people's motivation to self-induced dizziness have focused on substance use, such as alcohol or drugs.
According to the researchers, this new study may be more useful in explaining how changing situations affect the development of the human mind.
“The further we go back in human history, the less certain we can be about the impact of substance-induced experiences on our evolution. It is unclear whether our ancestors had access to mind-altering drugs or whether they had the resources and skills to make them.”
Dr. “For example, individuals may have access to grapes, but you cannot assume they have the necessary tools or talent to make wine,” Lameira says.
Scientists argue that more research is needed to understand why primates engage in these behaviors, to understand why our own ancestors may have had to seek similar spinning and mind-altering experiences.
While most of the monkeys we've seen exhibiting this behavior are caged animals, Dr. Lameira continues: “There may be a connection here with mental health. They may be bored and somehow trying to stimulate their senses.”
“Still, it could also be a game behavior. Most playground equipment, including swings, slides, seesaws, Ferris wheels, and carousels, is built to challenge your balance or interfere with your body's natural reflexes.
“Some intriguing analogies need further examination to understand why people are motivated to take these actions. It is possible that we sought and participated in mind-altering activities even before we became modern humans.”
Source: phys.org/news – University of Birmingham
Günceleme: 14/03/2023 14:58