Cultural Adaptations to Cold Climates

The cold is an environmental stress that negatively affects the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. As Carl Bergmann (1847) and Joel Allen (1877) observed physiological responses to climate, without the four standard ways to adapt juxtaposed with natural selection, humans will not survive the cold. For instance, cold weather negatively affects homeostasis with frostbite and hypothermia. Frostbite refers to the freezing of tissues. In order for skin to freeze temperatures are said to be 32 ºF which, once at the state, the dead skin will need to be surgically removed. Poorly insulated skin are found on the cheeks, nose, fingers, toes and earlobes. Inadequate blood circulation along with the low temperatures below freezing lead to frostbite. Next, Hypothermia not to be confused with hyperthermia is when the body’s core temperature (98-100 ºF) reaches 95.0 ºF for an extended time. When the body reaches this disruption in homeostasis, the brain becomes less efficient, consciousness is dulled, muscular rigidity begins and breathing becomes shallow: leads to eventual unconsciousness and possible death. 

Four ways in which humans have culturally adapted to the cold is by use of clothes, central air, diet, and tools. Varying from extreme to mild cold temperatures, insulated clothing styles are a way humans have adapted to the cold. As the image above depicts ideal clothing to use when on an expedition to Antarctica, one can get the sense of how important it is to adapt and how well humans have adapted to keeping homeostasis in the cold. 

Another way humans have culturally adapted to the stress of cold is through central air systems in modern homes. This image is an example how central heat systems are installed in homes that dissipate heat within a modern home, so a family can enjoy a peaceful evening in the middle of a blizzard in the state of Alaska by using a central heating system within the home. 

Moreover, diet is an important adaptation that humans have used to survive in the cold. Taking note from the Inuit tribe and Indians of Tierra del Fuego, consumption of large quantities of high calorie fatty foods is essential. Polar bear or seals is a great source of these fatty foods for the Inuit people. Their diets largely increases the basal metabolic rate which results in production of extra body heat. Since modern humans do not live in extreme cold, cultural adaptations to cold regarding diet can be seen in American consumption of chili or soup during the cold months.

Lastly, the unique ability for humans to create tools for survival is another way that they we adapted to the cold. Specifically, the Inuit are a great example of how the use of tools have allowed them to adapt to the cold. They have created a unique way to shield themselves for the “chill factor” while living in their extreme environment. This tool is known as snow.  The perpetual snow is used to build igloos by the Inuit. The snow is shaped by hand into big blocks and stacked together creating a domelike structure. Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator; on the outside, temperatures may be as low as -49 °F, but on the inside the temperature may range from 19 °F to 61 °F when warmed by body heat alone. 

The benefit of studying human variation from this perspective across environment clines is gaining information that can be useful to help us in many ways. Knowledge is power. So with understanding how the body reacts in cold, for instance, can help how doctors react and treat patients with hypothermia or frostbite. One example would be when there is a natural disaster, the benefit of knowledge would help search and rescue teams to efficiently treat patients that are possibly on the verge of being hypothermic to regaining homeostasis. Using race to understand the variation of the adaptations listed previously is inaccurate. Since categorizations of people based upon skin color, face shape, nose shape, hair color, hair form, and eye color are viewed as human variation, most people typically use these categories to identify a “race.” However, these racial traits are not the only phenotypic factors to social identity. Sex and age play an importance in this as well. Yet, no matter what “race” one is labeled as, people are either female of male and are a certain age. Thus, that fact the race is interchangeably used with ethnicity shows how these phenotypes are closely related to cultural variables shows that race should not be used to understand the variation of the four adaptations addressed earlier.   Therefore, the study of environment influences on adaptation is a better way to understand human variation. When natural selection is considered, these influences become a great source of understanding. 

Doing Away With Verbal Communication

Engaging in a conversation for 15 minutes where the use of symbolic language is not allowed is extremely difficult. Not only does one have to make an effort to not use symbolic language, the person restricted has to find another way to communicate. Philosophical, scientific,  or any deep conversation regarding deep thinking is ruled out. When I was trying to communicate without any use of speaking, writing, or ASL, I could not communicate that the purpose for the exercise regarded my Anthropology 101 class. It was a difficult task to translate the word Anthropology. Although,  basic needs and wants were relatively easy to communicate. For instance, as I changed topics to wanting my needs met, I started to ask if I can have something to eat. Without saying anything, I was able to gesture that I wanted to eat. The person I was in conversation with was able to interpret my gestures by getting me a bag of chips to munch on. Another issue was that I was limited to a few select words that aided in my attainment of basic needs. For instance, when the person I was communicating with asked me what I wanted to for the rest of the evening, I was only able to indicate that I wanted my basic needs met (eat, sleep, laugh, etc . . .) Communicating specific activities was difficult: I could not have of stated that I would of liked to go out and watch Frankenweenie. The more complex the activity was that I attempted to communicate, the more difficult it was to gesture such descriptions. It goes to show how important and dependent modern hominins have become on the use of symbolic language to survive. Nonetheless, conversations without speaking, writing, or use of ASL is extremely difficult, and I am much more thankful for the ability to use symbolic language to communicate every day, at least in today’s modern culture. 

Even though the ability to not use symbolic language in communicating was difficult, the impressions of my partner in the conversation ranged from laughter to frustration (which was easily readable). At first the notation of such experiment was amusing. It took a little bit to get used to the awkwardness from communicating with speech to strictly communicating with gestures. For instance, the impression that my partner gave me, initially, was that of shy, embarrassing laughter because I was struggling to communicate a complex thought. The struggle was amusing to her, which she was not able to concentrate on my communication. Once that was over, I continued to communicate complex thoughts, but that quickly became an impotent process. As I was trying to communicate my plans for the day, like washing my car, washing the dishes, and going out at night, the impressions of my partner were that of confusion and frustration. As she had no clue what I was trying to say, she began to take control of the conversation by leading it with close ended questions. Questions that only required me to answer “yes” or “no” by nodding or shaking my head helped to ease the tension. The communication process became very simplistic, and complex thought was thrown out the window. I then began to address communicating my basic needs as a starting point, like I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m bored, etc . . . This drove the conversation to alter my partner’s way of communicating by verbalizing my gestures and asking me questions to answers I originally gave: “I’m hungry,” “Are you hungry?”. 

If the experimental conversation represented two different cultures meeting for the first time, one culture would not have come out alive.  I believe through my findings, the advantage in communicating complex ideas has to go to those that use symbolic language. The ability to speak and write in direct result to complex ideas is, I believe, a major contributor to how H. erectus was able to outlive Neandertals. Even though I was able to express my basic needs, the ability to communicate a meaningful and emotional idea was lost. Thus, the basic form of communication called for basic topics within the conversation. I would presume that the speaking culture coming  into contact with the culture that does not use symbolic language would have more complex thoughts regarding the non-verbal culture. Those complex thoughts may have been feelings of superiority, astonishment/shock, or compassion. Whatever the attitudes were towards the non-speaking culture, I would be remise if not to say that the culture that could speak would have more complex ideas regarding those that could not speak. This idea is found in modern society. Sociology has developed the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis that states learning a language develops a framework for understanding and interpreting social reality and the environment (Hammond and Cheney 43). In other words, having control and use of symbolic language allows for one to have complex sets of thought processes, allowing one an actual increase in cognitive capacity. Therefore, individuals in our culture that have difficulty communicating with spoken language—people who are deaf, mute, have different languages of their own outside of American culture—have learned to adapt and communicate to one another. One great example is how the deaf community has developed American Sign Language. The use of complex ideas has been able to be communicated through a complex system of gestures and facial expression that allow for one to use ASL to survive in our culture. ASL has affected our culture so much so that it has become a viable form of language taught in the school system across the nation.  People are learning to interact with deaf persons by either taking an ASL class or by writing down information. Nonetheless, complex ideas come from complex forms of symbolic communication. 

Conversing for 15 minutes without any physical embellishments was highly amusing. I was not able to fully communicate for 15 minutes using only speech because it simply was not natural to do so (we would start to laugh) . I would be very conscious of what I wanted to say, and I was able to fully use my speech to get my point across. Although, as I spoke in a monotone, there was no emotional connection to what I was saying. The form of communication was highly efficient in giving directions or answering to directions, but sharing emotions and sharing thoughts/ideas was not as interesting when communicating in every possible way. The lack of facial expressions and vocal intonation was highly uncomfortable when trying to communicate. 

Since this communication experiment was highly amusing for us, initially we both had a laugh at my form. As we progressed in the conversation, my partner would smirk and smile at me while I was talking. It go to the point that it became easier to speak when I did not look into her eyes. As I spoke while facing away from her, the conversation became much easier to manage. Yet, it quickly became impersonal. I wasn’t speaking as a person, but I was conversing as an informational  object. My partner noted that listening to me talk was like listening to a prerecorded automated person on a customer service support line: very impersonal and impractical. Therefore, through this experiment I found that non-speech language techniques in our ability to communicate effectively is extremely important. The experiment demonstrates that importance in human connection in language. Not only does the information communicated provide useful information about how to relate to the person, but the meniscal and subtle movements of the eyes or cheeks when saying “I love you,” or how the brow furrows and bends when saying "I don't understand," is a great example as to how one can reciprocate an emotion, thus allowing for the human connection to build a bond. I believe this relational bond whether it be plutonic or romantic is how modern hominins have been able to "stick together" to adapt and survive as a species. I believe that language has allowed for modern humans to be the only species that out lived other H. erectus. Thus, our symbolic language is why humans are still around today.  

Lastly, a person who has difficulty reading body language may have autism. According to the Autism Society, their site explains that “individuals with autism have difficulty reading nonverbal cues, including body language and the facial expressions of others” (“Bullying and Students”). The article continued to address the negative drawback to not reading body language by analyzing the affects when a student with autism is being bullied: they sometimes may take sarcastic remarks literally. Thus, the adaptive benefit in possessing the ability to read body language can save a life from a perhaps deadly confrontation. When Neanderthals and H. Erectus communicated with each other, a possible scenario may risen where body language might have saved the lives of either party. The ability to read body language can be signals to a possible life threatening attack. Although, not reading body language may be a benefit in an environmental condition. For instance, if people did not read body language, there would be no such thing as first impressions. The first ten-seconds of meeting someone for the first time is said to be read by body language; these few seconds may make or break a career or a possible long lasting relationship. Therefore, not reading body language can allow for people that meet for the first time the benefit of the doubt by allowing for a relationship to be set before one is dismissed from getting a job or finding a possible mate. Nonetheless, body language is inseparable from symbolic language, and is extremely important in today’s culture and society.