behave. Under these circumstances it is hardly surprising that our plans fail. This is particularly true if the way people really behave runs counter to accepted social norms. Our plans are far more likely to succeed if we non-judgementally assume that common, though socially unacceptable, behaviour patterns are normal. To understand what these behaviour patterns are we must accept research findings, often based on evolutionary biology, showing that behaviours that may be unacceptable and inappropriate in our modern societies were once not only acceptable but essential for survival.
Our desire for sweet foods and our tendency to eat as much as we can get at any particular time stem from the days when our ancestors faced great uncertainty in their food supply. They survived the lean times because during the infrequent periods of plenty they ate as much as they could get. However, these same behaviours in modern times are leading to obesity and ill-health. Looking around at the widening waistlines and increasing incidence of diabetes and similar lifestyle diseases shows us that merely telling people that they should eat less and exercise more is clearly ineffective. We obviously need to find better solutions such as encouraging employers and schools to institute daily short periods of moderate exercise for everyone – this is not to be confused with team sports that typically involve only a minority of the fittest people. School curricula should include regular cooking classes so that young people can learn hands-on how to prepare low cost, nutritious and tasty meals in proper portion sizes.
We must also accept that men have a tendency to violence that is inappropriate in modern societies. This is not caused by social conditioning though that may play a role in enhancing underlying natural traits. Research shows that education is the single most effective antidote to unguided male violence. However, we also note that while women and girls are staying in school and gaining higher education in increasing numbers young men are dropping out of school. This is a double whammy since this provides few suitable partners for the many educated women and less potential partners for the uneducated men. Since having a family has also been shown to exercise a steadying influence on men, this adds to the tendency for male violence and anti social behaviour. The solution is not to deny education to girls and women but to find ways to keep boys and young men in school. True gender equity does not mean treating girls and boys exactly the same. It involves recognising the different learning styles of girls and boys and ensuring that our educational system provides the opportunity for all children to learn. We need to research successful programmes in other countries and have pilot projects to test the most promising ideas in Belize. Although mixed schools may be preferable, some classes might be better taught to girls and boys separately. Any teacher can tell you that girls can sit still for far longer than boys. The syllabus must be the same but teaching methods can differ.
Consider the camaraderie of a group of hunters, a male sports team or a male army unit and you will understand that men naturally form bands or gangs to which they are very loyal. Instead of fighting this natural tendency we can use it to benefit men and society. Offering an individual gang member an education has proven to be generally ineffective but finding a way to educate all or most members of a gang as a group might have an amazing effect.
Substance abuse (especially alcohol) is not only an individual problem but often is part of a cultural pattern or norm. It can have devastating effects on individuals including death and injury from accidents and fights, unwanted and unplanned children and disease from high risk sexual activity. We cannot expect individuals to change their behaviour alone since this separates them from their social group so we need to modify the cultural norms of the entire group.
Working smarter is better than working harder. It is more effective to find ways to modify actual human behaviour than to plan interventions based on an idealised view of how people should behave. Let’s get real and find and supply real solutions to real problems.
