Are Humans Domesticated? From Wild Hunters to Screen-Scrolling Zombies

This question has been rattling around my head for a while now.

I like to go for a long hike on the weekends, and after about two hours in the wilderness, I start feeling like I belong there.

Like a rekindled connection, an innate bond with nature. It feels incredible and makes me want to come back for more – I’m always looking forward to my next adventure.

It makes sense; humans have lived in the wild for millennia until recent times. We’d have spent most of our time outside, being part of and living harmoniously with Mother Nature.

These days, we’re stuck indoors, eyes on a screen (like now), and the only connection with nature is a window – if you’re lucky.

We’re being sucked deeper and deeper into the digital world of the internet, gaming, social media, and AI, but we’re organic beings—not robots. We’re now so disconnected from nature and all its beauty and brutality.

We feel safe in our cozy homes and creature comforts… but how safe are we? And actually… could it be doing our physical and mental health harm?

In this post, we’ll explore the science and weird reality of human self-domestication, how it’s shaped our behavioral traits, messed with our stress response, and why we now cry in meetings instead of throwing spears.

From floppy ears to emotional control, we’ll ask the big question:

Are humans domesticated, and if so, can we regain some of our wildness?

TL;DR

• The self-domestication hypothesis suggests that humans domesticated themselves by favouring social, less aggressive traits over thousands of years.
• Like domesticated animals, modern humans show domestication syndrome traits such as reduced reactive aggression, flatter faces, and softer behaviour.
• Our disconnect from nature, real food, and survival instincts may result from deep-rooted human self-domestication and fast-paced cultural evolution.
• Rewilding — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — may be the antidote to the softening effects of our domestication.

What Does It Mean to Be Domesticated?

When we think of something domesticated, we usually picture animals — dogs, cats, cows — living peacefully under human care, no longer wild or dangerous.

Through thousands of years of domestication, we’ve shaped certain species to suit us: calmer, cuddlier, more obedient, less prone to biting the hand that feeds them. Sounds nice, right?

But look closer, and the changes run deeper than just temperament. Domesticated animals tend to show a bundle of physical and behavioural changes known as domestication syndrome — things like floppy ears, curly tails, changes in coat color, reduced aggression, and even smaller brains.

These traits repeatedly show up across different species — from dogs to pigs to rabbits. It’s not random. It’s genetic.

Many of these changes are linked to the neural crest, a group of cells that plays a key role in early development.

When these cells migrate, they influence everything from facial structure to the adrenal glands that regulate the stress response. Tweak the neural crest, and you don’t just get a friendlier animal — you get a whole new temperament, brain function, and body type.

Now here’s where it gets interesting… Some scientists think humans exhibit many of the same traits.

So the next question is: Did we domesticate ourselves?

Let’s dive into that theory.

Human Self-Domestication: Taming Ourselves Without Knowing

Here’s the wild idea — and it’s not a fringe theory: what if humans domesticated… themselves?

This is what scientists call the human self-domestication hypothesis. It suggests that over time, humans evolved to be more social, less aggressive, and more cooperative — not because someone tamed us but because we started selecting those traits in each other.

In short, we began favouring mates, friends, and leaders who weren’t violent hotheads, but those who could keep their cool, work in groups, and not punch people over mammoth meat.

Over thousands of years, this slow filtering has shaped the species.

Breeding Ourselves to Be Nicer

Just like we bred dogs from wolves to be more loyal and less bitey, it’s believed we self-selected people who displayed reduced reactive aggression. That type of aggression flares up quickly — the hot-tempered, lash-out kind.

Those who could stay calm and show social tolerance were more likely to thrive, survive, and reproduce.

This shift towards empathy, cooperation, and emotional control gave rise to a different type of human — one more focused on social bonding, group harmony, and social learning.

Same Traits, New Species?

Interestingly, the physical traits associated with self-domestication mirror those of other domesticated animals. We’re talking about softer faces, smaller jaws, less sexual dimorphism, and even changes in brain size.

According to researchers like Adam Wilkins, changes in neural crest cells — a group of highly influential embryonic cells — may explain this.

When these cells migrate differently during development, they can lead to many traits we now see in modern humans, from craniofacial feminization to altered stress response.

In other words, humans exhibit many of the same biological quirks as domesticated mammals.

But at What Cost?

Here’s the uncomfortable bit: if the self-domestication hypothesis holds up, are we now too domesticated?

Have we become so emotionally soft and physically tame that we’ve lost touch with reality — nature, danger, and the wild world that shaped us?

Are Modern Humans the Ultimate Domesticated Species?

Think about it: anatomically modern humans appeared around 300,000 years ago, but we only started behaving like today’s “civilised” humans more recently — a shift known as behavioral modernity.

That’s when things like language, culture, and tools took off. It’s also when signs of self-domestication began to show.

Over time, our evolution favoured those who could live in complex groups without tearing each other’s heads off. This meant better social cognition, calmer tempers, and the ability to cooperate at scale.

But with that came reduced reactive aggression, flatter faces, and smaller bodies — all classic signs of domestication syndrome.

Researchers comparing early human fossils with modern humans have noted similar changes seen in domesticated animals: lighter bone structure, softer features, and decreased sexual dimorphism — the physical differences between males and females.

Emotion Over Instinct?

One of the traits that defines self-domesticated species — including us — is emotional regulation, more specifically, what scientists call socially mediated emotional control. We started keeping our rage in check because group survival depended on it.

That sounds great — until it isn’t.

Because with this softening came an increased sensitivity to social rejection, status, and approval, we became less like wild animals and more like social chameleons.

While that helped us survive in large groups, it may also explain the rise in chronic stress, anxiety, and disconnection we see today.

Our adrenal glands — which regulate our stress response — are still wired for a life that no longer exists.

We’re stressed about emails instead of predators, arguments instead of avalanches. We’ve tamed the environment… and yet somehow made ourselves emotionally fragile.

Have We Outpaced Ourselves?

Here’s the thing: our cultural evolution — think technology, cities, the internet — has raced ahead of our biological evolution. Our bodies and brains are still tuned for hunting, foraging, and real-world danger.

But instead, we live in boxes, eat processed food, and stare at screens for hours. We’ve become domesticated, but unlike other animals, we did it with full consciousness.

This disconnection from our roots — from nature, other species, and even ourselves — could be why many humans today feel lost. There’s a strange phenomenon happening: more comfort but less joy, more stuff but less meaning.

So the question becomes: Have we traded survival for sedation?

And is there a way back? Let’s look at what today’s animals — and our ancient past — can teach us.

The Wild vs. The Tame: How Other Animals Teach Us About Ourselves

Look closely at domesticated mammals — dogs, cats, cows, pigs — and a familiar pattern appears. Not just in their tameness, but in the changes to their bodies, brains, and behavioral traits.

Selective breeding, often for traits like friendliness or docility, consistently produces similar traits across species:
✅ Smaller skulls
✅ Softer faces
✅ Curly tails, floppy ears, and spotted coat color
✅ Less testosterone
✅ Reduced reactive aggression

This bundle of traits — domestication syndrome — has cropped up in every animal we’ve tamed. Now here’s where it gets uncomfortably reflective: many of these traits also show up in modern humans.

We even see craniofacial feminization in human skulls over time — a softer face structure linked to a decline in aggression and testosterone. Less caveman, more call centre rep.

The Domesticated Fox Experiment

Want proof that tameness can shape a whole species? Look at the famous Russian fox experiment.

By selecting only the friendliest foxes for breeding over generations, researchers unintentionally created domesticated foxes that didn’t just act tame — they looked different. Their ears flopped, their tails curled, their behaviour softened. The changes weren’t just learned — they were genetic.

It was natural selection, just sped up in a lab. And it mimicked what likely happened during human social evolution, as groups favoured traits like kindness, cooperation, and calmness.

What About Other Species — and Great Apes?

Compared to great apes, humans have shorter faces, smaller teeth, and a greater capacity for empathy. But the most significant difference isn’t physical — it’s how we treat each other.

Other animals tend to resolve conflicts with dominance and violence. Humans, at our best, use negotiation, shame, storytelling, and social exclusion—in other words, social control.

And while this has helped us build cities and civilizations, it’s also weakened our grip on the wild side of life. We’re not better — just more edited.

So what does this mean for how we live now?

Let’s talk about food, farming, and the loss of life’s original context.

Food, Farming, and Forgetting the Circle of Life

You walk into a supermarket and pick up a pack of beef, shrink-wrapped in plastic. It’s clean, tidy, and far removed from the animal it came from.

For most modern humans, that’s just normal — but it’s also a sign of how far we’ve drifted from the wild reality of life and death.

Our ancestors didn’t eat without thought. They hunted. They knew the land, the animal, and the cost of survival. Today? Most humans couldn’t track a squirrel, let alone kill and butcher it.

If we had to live off the land tomorrow, most of us would be gone within a week — probably after failing to light a fire with a YouTube tutorial.

This separation from our food is part of the bigger picture of self-domestication. We’ve traded understanding for convenience, connection for packaging.

The Human Domestication of Food

Agriculture was a significant turning point in human evolution — and some argue, not necessarily for the better.

When we shifted from hunting and gathering to farming, we began controlling not just animals, but plants, environments, and eventually, each other.

It was the beginning of domestication — not just of livestock but of humans. Suddenly, food became something we grew and stored, not something we chased, scavenged, or honoured.

That shift made life easier in some ways but also brought poor nutrition, hierarchy, disease, and war.

Domestication didn’t just change other species. It transformed us.

Life and Death: A Missing Piece

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: something has to die for you to live. That used to be obvious. Now it’s hidden.

Even many vegans, though well-intentioned, fall into the trap of believing they’re avoiding harm — but crops displace wildlife, farming kills animals, and soil depletion harms ecosystems.

The idea that we can live without taking life is a myth—a comforting one, a very domesticated one.

The solution isn’t guilt — it’s awareness. Visit the farm. Look into the animal’s eye. Ask: Did it have a good life? Was it respected? That’s not cruelty — it’s connection.

If humans want to reclaim their health, vitality, and sanity, they must start by caring where their food comes from… and what happened for it to reach their plates.

Now — how do we start getting some of that wildness back?

The Hope: Can We Rewild Ourselves Before It’s Too Late?

Let’s face it — we’re not built for this life. Sitting at desks, doom-scrolling social media, eating beige food, and wondering why we feel numb.

Our stress response is firing like a lion is chasing us… Except the “lion” is your inbox.

We weren’t meant to be this tame. Our evolutionary psychology still craves challenge, nature, connection, and danger — things we’ve tried to remove from life in the name of safety and comfort.

But comfort is a double-edged sword. Too much of it, and humans lose their edge.

The answer? We don’t need to go full caveman. But we need to self-domesticate a little less — and reintroduce some wild back into our lives.

Reclaiming the Stress Response

We talk about reducing stress like it’s the enemy. But stress isn’t the problem — it’s the lack of meaningful stress.

Lifting heavy things, facing real danger, being cold, wet, tired, and alive were normal parts of life — now, we panic when the Wi-Fi drops.

If we keep smoothing every edge and numbing every feeling, we end up anxious and depressed.

Rewilding isn’t about being macho or reckless — it’s about using your ability to suffer well. To handle discomfort. To adapt. That’s what neural crest cells are designed for — building resilient, adaptable organisms.

What Rewilding Could Look Like

✅ Spending time in nature
✅ Learning where your food comes from
✅ Building social bonding with real people, in person
✅ Facing something hard on purpose — cold exposure, physical training, a digital detox
✅ Saying no to a domesticated life where every risk is removed and every discomfort is numbed

We may be a self-domesticated species, but we still have the ability to turn the dial back a little. To remember who we were before processed snacks and “self-care” routines that involve shopping and scented candles.

This isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about survival. And it might be the only way out of the rut we’ve collectively wandered into.

So… are we too domesticated to save ourselves?

Let’s check in with some good old-fashioned common sense.

Common Sense Check: Are We Too Domesticated to Save Ourselves?

Let’s take a step back and look at the current state of play.

We have modern humans who can code an app but don’t know how to build a fire. We have people who eat meat but are repulsed by the idea of where it comes from.

We’ve grown adults who can’t go an hour without a snack, a screen, or a nap. And we call this progress?

If aliens landed and looked at how we live, they might assume we’re a fully domesticated species — one that’s been bred for convenience, obedience, and fragility. Not power, resilience, or instinct.

Now compare us to a wild animal. A deer doesn’t get depressed because it doesn’t have a gym membership. A wolf doesn’t need mindfulness apps to calm down after a stressful hunt.

We do. That’s the self-domestication hypothesis in action. That happens when a species trades nature for comfort and forgets what it was designed to do.

So ask yourself:

• If there were a month-long blackout, would you survive?
• Could you grow your food or hunt for a meal?
• Do you know how to suffer with purpose — or complain on social media?

This isn’t doom and gloom. It’s just reality. And facing it might be the first step back to sanity.

Because the truth is: humans were once wild. Capable. Durable. Dangerous when needed.

Maybe it’s time to remember that… before we forget it for good.

Conclusion: Wake Up Before It’s All Tamed Out

So… are humans domesticated?

The science says yes. The mirror probably says yes, too.

Early on, self-domestication made us less aggressive and more sociable, which is probably a good thing and has allowed us to get along generally as our population has grown.

But we’re now entering unprecedented times of immersing ourselves in a digital age and disconnecting from our wild roots. I fear this could be to our demise.

We’ve tamed our instincts and neutered our strength, losing touch with life’s raw beauty and brutality.

But it’s not all doom. We’re still breathing. And if we’re still breathing, there’s still time to change. To figure out how to embrace technological advances and our innate connection with nature.

Start by caring where your food comes from. Walk barefoot. Get cold. Get strong. Play in the dirt. Talk to real people in real life. Look an animal in the eye and thank it for giving you life.

And above all: remember you’re going to die.. that’s not morbid — it’s motivating.

If you knew you had six months left, would you continue as you are?

If not, then change it. Do the thing.

Because this might be your last day… and what a gift it would be to live like you knew it.

And that’s it… have a wild day!

P.S. all part of getting back to our wilder selves is eating the way our ancestors did, not as we do today (our modern diets are so far removed from how we’re designed to eat—trust me!).

Check out my thoughts on this in my article about what I call The Ultimate Human Diet. If you’re struggling with your health, this is an essential read.

FAQs

Are humans considered domestic?

Yes, many scientists believe humans are domesticated through self-domestication. Like domesticated animals, we show traits like reduced aggression, smaller faces, and softer behaviours that emerged during human evolution.

What animals are 100% domesticated?

Dogs, cats, cows, and sheep are a few fully domesticated animals. They’ve adapted biologically and behaviourally through long-term domestication to live alongside humans without reverting to the wild.

Are humans self-domesticated apes?

Yes, under the self-domestication hypothesis, humans are viewed as self-domesticated apes. Over generations, we selected traits like social tolerance, reduced reactive aggression, and socially mediated emotional control, shaping our own behavioral traits.

Are humans still technically animals?

Absolutely. Humans are still part of the animal kingdom. Despite our tech and culture, we’re animals — primates, shaped by evolution, just like other species, including domesticated mammals.