Recently they discovered that orangutans make certain noises when there are predators around.
They ONLY make those sounds (a series of clicks) when those predators around.
It’s an insight into the development of human language.
Nobody is really sure when language was invented.
They only know when written language was invented, which came perhaps tens of thousands of years after spoken language.
Whenever evolutionary scientists look at all of our human characteristics, some things make sense, while others don’t.
Clearly being able to talk has tons of benefits over not being able to talk.
Many people believer that the purpose of human language is to exchange information.
But there’s a deeper issue. Even when those orangutans make those clicks, the are hoping (instinctively) that whoever hears those clicks will DO something.
Something specific, like not get eaten.
Sometimes it seems that when humans talk, there isn’t really a reason.
It can be an interesting mental experiment to do next time you’re hanging with your friends.
Sit back and listen, and try and guess the “intention” beneath the words.
What behavior are they trying to elicit? Often it’s a simple as trying to elicit a smile or any kind of agreement.
But the intention is always there.
Many times people will say something, NOT get the intended result, and then kind of retreat.
They’ll say, “Just saying…”
Most of the time, even when we HAVE a clear intention (get somebody to laugh, give out their phone number or agree to an idea) we don’t have much of a plan.
We just kind of spit out a bunch of words and hope for the best.
Even the most skilled speakers and persuaders don’t really have a concrete plan on how to specifically get their intended outcome.
Most of the time, they’re just naturally “good at it” which means they really don’t know HOW they do what they do.
But there IS a set of strategies that work, and work very well.
They are contrary to how most “persuaders” operate. Kind of the opposite.
And for some, getting into the right frame of mind is difficult.
But when you do, it’s VERY EASY.
So easy, that if those highly skilled “persuaders” would see you do it, they would wonder why in the heck it’s working so well.
Learn How:
