Why does a person need brain?

Until the 90s of the last century, the dominant hypothesis was that the human brain developed in order to analyze incoming information and make certain decisions based on it.

Now, in contrast to it, there is another hypothesis: “social brain hypothesis”. According to it, the development of the brain, in the first place, was necessary to maintain social ties. The starting point for this hypothesis was the study, during which it was discovered that in the process of evolution, the region of the neocortex underwent significant changes. It is responsible for social connections. This area is significantly larger in primates than in other animals.

But then another question arises. Why did the cortex change only in primates? The fact is that monkeys perceive their fellows as a separate person, unlike other animals. According to the research by scientists, the primate society rests on the conscious interaction of the whole group. Primates devote up to 20% of their time to maintaining relationships in a group. More time is spent only searching for food.

To maintain the social connections of chimpanzees they use the so-called grooming - physical contact. However, evolution has shown that it takes too much time. That is why in the Neanderthals in the evolutionary process grooming was replaced by voice communication. Evolution led people to the creation of large social groups, in which speech has gradually become an indispensable means of communication.