Neanderthals May Have Been More Compassionate Than You Thought

The face of compassion. From Wikipedia.

Good news for you time travelers out there:  the Herald Sun reports that Neanderthals cared for their sick and injured. Researchers from the UK's University of York found that our ancient cousins nurtured the infirm rather than abandoning them. The researchers, as published in the journal Time and Mind, discovered remains of a child with a brain abnormality who was looked after for around six years. They also found evidence that a half-blind Neanderthal with a withered arm and feet remained in the community for as long as 20 years.

Researchers now believe that the journey to human compassion happened in four stages, beginning around six million years ago with chimpanzees offering simple gestures to help others. This evolved further with Homo erectus around 1.8 million years ago and started including animals, objects, and abstract concepts 120,000 years ago. Since compassionate behavior ranks as one of the best and easiest ways to increase long-term happiness, I'd imagine all these folks felt pretty good about what they were doing.

So if you get injured during a time jump and see a Neanderthal walking toward you, don't worry! Maybe he just wants to offer you medical care.

One Out of Two Australian Men Want to Trade in Their Girlfriends for Someone New

Think this kangaroo is satisfied with his current relationship? Think again. From sydney-australia.biz

Is Australia a nation of criminals? Maybe, but apparently it's also a nation of men dissatisfied with their partners. The Herald Sun reports on a new study that shows half the Australian men surveyed think that the key to happiness is a different woman. This is higher than the 44% of women surveyed who want a new man. Perhaps even more shocking are the whopping three-quarters of men who say their current relationships are not fulfilling enough.

Now don't go thinking that this is a problem with romance. According to Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness (a book I reference a lot), people are often dissatisfied with what they have, as long as there are other choices available. This, of course, is also a part of common wisdom. Just remember the phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side." The point is that unhappiness with choices is a part of the human psyche, not necessarily a problem with the relationship itself. If this is the case, then all these roving Australian men will probably NOT feel happy within a new relationship, unless they feel they have no other choice.

So, anyone feel like sharing? What do you think about romantic relationships and their relation to happiness?