Why do humans like sparkly things?
Timothy Bessonette
Advertisement
Wesson, Mississippi, US
For thousands of generations, humans have walked this Earth, adapting to every environment.
One common thread among all prehistoric humans was the dependency they developed on lithic materials – ones made from rocks or minerals. Much of their lives would have revolved around searching for and utilising these materials.
Many of the stones (quartz, obsidian and lots of other microcrystallines) ideal for turning into tools would have glistened. The ability to identify these materials would have been paramount to the survival of our species.
The use of these stone tools helped early humans achieve a surplus in their day-to-day lives, one that afforded the development of culture and artistic expression.
From there, it is easy to imagine that some of these materials being utilised for tools would transcend the need for survival and become objects of artistic expression. Perhaps our attraction to shiny objects was cultivated over thousands of generations, because our survival depended on it.
Mark Thompson
Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK
Humans really like shiny things. One hypothesis involves going back to the cradle of civilisation in Africa where our ancestors were walking over the endless savannah, before spotting that life-saving shimmer of water.
Many of the stones needed to make tools would have glistened. The ability to identify them would have been vital to survival
For all our years on this planet, we could never live far from that shine.
Laura Schueler
Franklin, Kentucky, US
I believe it goes back to our early days when food and water required more effort to obtain. Water is especially crucial, so humans would look for it using sparkly reflections from sunlight or moonlight. Water equals life, so sparkly things bring us life!
To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format.