The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth

by Sam Quinones

“Each of our ancestors was, in effect, on a camping trip that lasted an entire lifetime,” the couple wrote. “This way of life endured for most of the last 10 million years.… [That experience] sculpted the human brain, favoring circuitry that was good at solving the day-to-day problems of our hunter-gatherer ancestors—problems like finding mates, hunting animals, gathering plant foods, negotiating with friends, defending ourselves against aggression, raising children, choosing a good habitat, and so on. Those whose circuits were better designed for solving these problems left more children, and we are descended from them.” Eating, exercise, sex, connecting with others—all that helped us stay alive. Our brains evolved to reward us with feelings of pleasure when we engaged in them. We evolved prodigious memory to remember where food and threat resided; slow learners died fast. Our brain evolved to be easily distracted because those who weren’t got eaten. Our brain also required that we be physically touched by others—hugged, squeezed, kissed, patted on the back—as a way of reinforcing the group that kept us alive.