Group Gazing

Our deep ancestors often gathered in a group and gazed into a campfire. This pastime is deep in our bones; we still enjoy doing it today. There's something mesmerizing about the dancing flames that holds our attention and draws us together. For our hunter-gatherer precursors, it may also have been a safety measure that could ward off threatening tigers. But group gazing into a fire had other functions, as well. It provided a time for relaxation and discussion. Plans were made, cooperative ventures forged, and stories related.

Fires allowed our forebears to learn to cook meat—which was much more readily digested than tough, raw animal flesh. Thus, with more calories ingested, our brains could grow larger and our socializing could become even more complex. Language proliferated. Art entered.

Sitting around a fire, with idle chat filling the air, early Homo sapiens could relax and pass on information. The stress reduction and cooperative planning offered us an evolutionary advantage over our ape relatives. So evolution favored these gatherings, as groups gazed into the dancing flames.

We modern humans still enjoy fireside activity. Anyone who has camped knows the tranquilizing effect of sitting around a campfire and chatting. Worries can fade into the night air, as friendships bring comfort to those gathered. Other relaxing scenes we collectively enjoy are sunsets, ocean waves, and gurgling streams.

Perhaps there's a modern parallel, when people gather around the TV and gaze at flickering images; or singly stare into our smartphones. Many people chill in front of the screen and find a type of relaxation. Is it really a similar pastime, however? Are we engaged in an unwinding activity, or have we become captured by our electronic screens? Are we being social, or are we sinking into a solitary, sluggish state?