Pass the baby

NY Times: Cooperative breeding as root of social glue

Our capacity to cooperate in groups, to empathize with others and to wonder what others are thinking and feeling — all these traits, Dr. Hrdy argues, probably arose in response to the selective pressures of being in a cooperatively breeding social group, and the need to trust and rely on others and be deemed trustworthy and reliable in turn. Babies became adorable and keen to make connections with every passing adult gaze. Mothers became willing to play pass the baby. Dr. Hrdy points out that mother chimpanzees and gorillas jealously hold on to their infants for the first six months or more of life. Other females may express real interest in the newborn, but the mother does not let go: you never know when one of those females will turn infanticidal, or be unwilling or unable to defend the young ape against an infanticidal male.

I'm still not keen on handing over my baby, not even to relatives. It's difficult for me to watch my husband walk off with her, even though I know for certain that he values her safety as much as I do. However, rather than to suppose that I'm an evolutionary throwback, I'm going to wager that this is a trust issue based on insecure bonding with my own family.