Sociality and Proximity in Hunter-Gatherer Settlements

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate the determinants of household separation in hunter-gatherer settlements. The study proposes that two neurobiological phenomena play a key role: ‘social homeostasis’ and ‘social buffering’. Social homeostasis is the tendency of individuals to modify their social behaviour to minimise the opposing stresses of social crowding and loneliness. Social buffering describes the phenomenon by which the human stress response is reduced through physical proximity to social affiliates, especially friends and family. Data are compiled from ethnographic and archaeological observations of hunter-gatherer societies made over the last two centuries. Statistical analysis shows that household separation varies with household size (number of people per household) and community size (number of people per settlement), consistent with the modification of social interaction to maintain social homeostasis. It is further shown that physical proximity is greater between households that practice high risk hunting strategies, consistent with the social buffering of the uncertainty of protein provisioning. The findings of the present study have implications for interpretation of archaeological sites and for our understanding of how humans interact with and are impacted by the built environment.