Play, Reciprocity and Context: The Keys to Happy Communities with Jessica Mayhew

Jessica Mayhew, PhD teaches Biological Anthropology as well as Primate Culture & Cognition at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She got our attention when her comments about how primates play together are related to the way humans play. Not that that in and of itself is a big surprise, but the way we play and the context we play in are – of course – highly influential in how we play.

She reminded us about the important role reciprocity has in the animal kingdom, just as it does among humans. She talked about context and environment and she gave us a couple of key examples. She noted how primate communities that value cooperation with their juveniles end up with adults that cooperate. And the opposite is true as well. Highly competitive groups foster more competitive behaviors in their juveniles. Kinda gets you thinking about human communities, right?

Jessica inspires us with her interdisciplinary focus and the way she’s always looking for ways to cross into new fields. That’s why we call her a hedgefox: she’s super deep into primatology, but she also likes to dabble in anthropology and other disciplines as well.

And, in a related note, she reminded us that none of us are disconnected from the whole – we are all a part of the same ecosystem, and we can take a lesson from that.