Evolutionary advantages of loneliness

WaPo: Loneliness can be depressing, but it may have helped humans survive.

The oxytocin receptor gene comes in several variants… For our ancestors, safety was in numbers, so evolution favored those who craved the bond with others �” and hence the GG genotype may have survived. On the other hand, the group also needed people less upset by being alone �” those who might venture far away, explore the environment �” such as the carriers of the AA genotype.

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