How Did Ancient Humans Kill Pain?

You hurt today. Maybe not badly. But somewhere in your body, something hurts. A headache behind one eye. A knee that does not feel right. A shoulder that has been tight for weeks. You took something for it this morning. You did not even think about it. This is not normal. This is the first time in the history of your species that pain is private. Today, 50 million Americans live with chronic pain. One in five adults on Earth carries pain that does not stop. The opioid epidemic is a downstream effect. The painkiller in your drawer is a downstream effect. This is the story of how ancient humans killed pain. And why we cannot. In 2018, anthropologist Brian Wood at Yale studied the Hadza of northern Tanzania. The Hadza had every reason to be in chronic pain — they walked 12 km a day, climbed for honey, slept on the ground, broke bones often. But fewer than 8% reported chronic pain. The American adult rate is 30%. Four times the injury rate, a quarter of the chronic pain. The Hadza had no painkillers. They had something the modern American does not: a pain system designed to be turned off by other people. Three things ancient humans had. Three things you do not. The fire and the shaman. Five hours of touch a day. The story. About 70 years ago, we replaced all three with a pill. Your pain is not chronic because you are weak. Your pain is chronic because you are the first generation in the history of the species to hurt alone. But you can give your brain three things back. ⏱ Chapters 0:00 You Hurt Today 0:30 The Stakes 0:50 Did Pain Even Exist? 1:30 Brian Wood & The Hadza 3:00 How A Hadza Woman Was Held 3:45 Three Things 4:00 The Fire & The Shaman 5:00 Five Hours Of Touch 6:00 The Story 6:30 Central Sensitization 7:15 We Broke The Machine 7:35 What You Can Give Back 8:00 The Worst Part Will Fall 🔔 Subscribe for more videos on how ancient humans lived. #AncientHumans #Pain #ChronicPain #Hadza #Anthropology #Endorphins #HumanEvolution #OpioidEpidemic #SocialPain #Touch