A Bad Trait of Human Evolution

Xenophobia, the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, is a profoundly unsettling aspect of human behavior. While its manifestations in society are complex and multifaceted, understanding its roots may lie in our evolutionary past. Though regrettable in our modern, interconnected world, this instinct might have been a survival mechanism for our ancestors.

In the early stages of human evolution, survival often depended on the strength and cohesion of small groups. Outsiders were seen as potential threats - competitors for scarce resources or carriers of unfamiliar diseases. In this context, mistrust of the 'other' could have been an adaptive trait, promoting group cohesion and safety. This evolutionary perspective suggests that xenophobia might stem from our innate tendency to categorize people into 'in-groups' and 'out’groups'.

Fast forward to the modern world: even if we live in a world of much more abundant resources, things still seem scarce, such as jobs and political power. These scarcities can threaten locals when they see foreigners immigrating to their cities, even if, in many cases, everyone wins with the increase of people in the region.

Understanding the possible evolutionary origins of xenophobia can help frame it as a challenge to overcome rather than an intractable aspect of human nature. Removing something rooted in our human nature is a big challenge. But maybe one way to do it is to treat xenophobia more like we treat confirmation bias. We acknowledge that it exists, and we will always have it at some level, and that the only way to manage it is to be self-aware about it and actively try to reduce it to avoid it from clouting our judgment.

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