Life before the Agricultural Revolution

“The less work, the better” - Research finding on work patterns of hunter-gatherers

“Je weniger Arbeit, desto besser”

The Article’s Authenticity

The Süddeutsche Zeitung article from April 1, 2021, is not an April Fool’s joke but a legitimate article discussing James Suzman’s book “Sie nannten es Arbeit” (published in English as “Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time”) [1].

Hunter-Gatherer Work Hours

Research indicates that hunter-gatherers did work significantly less than modern humans.

• Anthropological studies suggest hunter-gatherers worked approximately 15-20 hours per week on direct food acquisition [2]
• When including all subsistence-related activities, total working time was about 30-40 hours per week [3]
• This is less than the average modern workweek when domestic chores and commuting are included
• The “Original Affluent Society” hypothesis by Marshall Sahlins suggests hunter-gatherers had considerable leisure time [2]

Hunter-Gatherer Lifespan

The evidence on hunter-gatherer lifespans is nuanced:

• If a hunter-gatherer survived childhood, they could often live to relatively old age
• The “modal adult life span” (most common age of death for adults) was 68-78 years [4]
• Overall life expectancy was much lower (21-37 years) primarily due to high infant and childhood mortality [5]
• Hunter-gatherers who reached adulthood had mortality patterns similar to pre-modern agricultural societies
• The transition to agriculture often initially worsened health and decreased lifespan due to:
  • Increased disease transmission
  • Less varied diets
  • Harder physical labor [6]

Historical Significance

• For about 95% of human history (roughly 285,000 of 300,000 years), humans lived as hunter-gatherers
• The agricultural revolution created significant changes in human society, including:
  • Increased workload
  • More diseases and epidemics
  • New social hierarchies
  • Surplus production allowing population growth [7]

Contemporary Relevance

• Modern technology was expected to reduce working hours (John Maynard Keynes predicted 15-hour workweeks by now) [8]
• Instead, we work more despite unprecedented productivity
• COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted problems in our work culture and created opportunities to reconsider our relationship with work
• Suzman suggests alternatives like universal basic income and reducing work hours could benefit both humans and the planet [9]

References

[0] https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/steinzeit-arbeitskultur-arbeitszeit-1.5252375?reduced=true#libraryItemId=12192187

[1] Amazon.de and other German book retailers listing Suzman’s book with citations from the Süddeutsche Zeitung article

[2] Original Affluent Society - Wikipedia, based on Marshall Sahlins’ research

[3] Various research papers on hunter-gatherer work patterns, including studies by Gurven and Kaplan

[4] “Longevity Among Hunter-Gatherers: A Cross-Cultural Examination” by Gurven and Kaplan (2007)

[5] “Hunter-gatherer” - Wikipedia, citing research on mortality rates

[6] “Human mortality improvement in evolutionary context” - Study published in PMC (PubMed Central)

[7] Research by David A. Nibert on animal domestication and human society transformation

[8] Keynes’ 1930 essay “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren” referenced in multiple sources

[9] Interviews with James Suzman about his book in The Guardian and other publications

#work #work-life-balance

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