It wasn’t sharper tools but flexible cooperation that made us rulers

Imagine two tribes meeting at a riverbank. Chimps might scream, bare teeth and throw rocks. Bonobos might bow and break into a mass orgy. Either way, they rely on intimate bonds to guide their actions.

Homo sapiens invented something radically different. Around 70,000 years ago we began learning how to cooperate with strangers without shared family ties. No ritualistic sex or hair-pulling required—just shared stories: “I’ll sign a treaty with your chief and mint metal bits everyone trusts.” That leap in social flexibility let us organize hunting parties of a hundred, build cities of ten thousand, and later found empires of millions.

Toolmaking certainly helped—better axes and sails let us travel farther. But screwdriver precision and supersonic jets don’t ensure group harmony. Without the ability to form flexible networks—drawing on shared myths, rules and contracts—even the sharpest minds couldn’t launch an international peace conference or a global startup.

Multiple studies back this up. Neuroscientists find that our brains light up in specific ways when we think of money or nations—imagined orders that no chimp can grasp. Anthropologists show that societies with clear trade contracts and legal codes outlast equally equipped but more parochial neighbors. In short, flexibility is our edge.

Tonight at home, think of the groups you belong to—and jot down which stories or symbols hold them together. Tomorrow, stretch your capacity by volunteering in a new circle, sharing your strengths, and translating perspectives between strangers. You’ll see how flexible cooperation multiplies your impact faster than any better gadget could.