Our ancestors had photographic memory and built-in GPS, and we're the smarter ones?

Believe it or not, our ancestors could vividly recall every detail of their daily encounters without the aid of smart devices—possessing what seemed like photographic memories.

In stark contrast, our modern brains now juggle endless tabs, struggling in perpetual 'overload' mode!

Not only that, but before modern technology, our ancestors excelled in spatial navigation. They possessed an uncanny ability to navigate vast landscapes using natural cues like the position of the sun, stars, wind patterns, and even the scent of plants.

The hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for spatial memory, was hard at work here!

 

 

But the main question is...

 

 

How did we go from having these superhuman powers to digital overload? Are our high-tech tools making us cognitively weaker?

No, not really.

While our ancestors were busy hunting and being cool at remembering everything, the neuroplasticity of the brain was at work.

When our prehistoric storytellers first etched symbolic representations onto cave walls, they initiated a chain reaction that would ultimately give rise to the modern human mind.

 

The development of writing, reading, and language acquisition required higher-order cognitive functions such as attention, working memory, and executive control.

 

This cognitive demand led to a remarkable reorganization of the prefrontal cortex – the brain's "control center" responsible for sophisticated problem-solving and planning capabilities. This evolution played a significant role in defining human social interactions and ethical judgement abilities.

 

Invention of Language Processors (Broca's and Wernicke's Areas)

With the introduction of writing, the brain's language centers, Broca's and Wernicke's areas, underwent remarkable changes. These modifications improved language processing, enabling more sophisticated communication and subsequently influencing the development of deeper cultural and social complexities.

 

Unveiling the Human Graphics Card (The Visual Cortex)

The transition from oral traditions to written language placed new demands on our ancestors' visual processing abilities. As a result, the occipital lobes – the primary visual cortex – developed, becoming capable of decoding and comprehending the complex visual information encoded in written language, enhancing both memory and spatial orientation.

 

 

The Cognitive Load Problem: The sheer volume of information we encounter daily can overwhelm our working memory capacity, leading to difficulties in processing and retaining information effectively.

 

Evolutionary Lag: Our brains have not fully adapted to the rapid pace of information expansion in the modern world, as evolution is a gradual process.

 

 

So does this mean that we're giving up to the overload problem and 'being smarter'? How will we overcome this?

This mismatch between our cognitive abilities and the ever-increasing information demands may drive the next stage of brain evolution, potentially enhancing our capacity to filter, process, and store vast amounts of data more efficiently—technologically, maybe?

These evolutionary pressures could lead to the development of more sophisticated neural networks and cognitive strategies, enabling future generations to navigate the complexities of the digital age with greater ease and adaptability.

 

 

So yeah, our brain and this generation has its own pros and cons! But if you're still wondering if we really have some superpowers of our own..

Yesss, we can do programming! Woohoo! (But isn't AI taking that way?)

But anyway, if you feel better, our ancestors could not do programming due to lack of abstract thinking ability and less working memory – the ability to manipulate multiple pieces of information simultaneously (less RAM, it seems!)

And, fun fact: Usain Bolt would have still won the 100m race if our ancestors participated! They wouldn't have been able to catch-up....like we are not able to with all the information and knowledge, haha, what an irony!