Did ancient humans cry with pain?

Question

Anthropologists please, no opinions thank you! I haven't read Margaret Mead on the subject but have just come accross a reference to the aboriginals in Taiwan 'frowning in pain' ...not crying. Ref. is to Macabe Keliher's fine book "Out of Taiwan -- or Yu Yonghe's Tales of Formosa".

Answer 1

No!

First they had pain; then they cried!

Answer 2

no they didn't cry ................they learned crying to pain,makking of wheel,makking of fire...one by one....in this context they felt pain and started crying at the time of pain...they even cry at the time of joy

Answer 3

Yes !!!

Answer 4

Yes. Duh.

Answer 5

You know, this is really an excellent question. It moves me to look around both the Internet and the NY Public Library.

Answer 6

They certainly would have been capable of it.  Some groups might have reinforced not crying, much like today's American men aren't supposed to cry and therefore usually don't.  I don't think they could have controlled the eyes welling up reaction, because I don't think that's under a person's control.

That reference is probably just a cultural one.  Different cultures see the same phenomenon in different ways.  For a rather amusing example, check out what different countries think the animals are saying.  In the US, a rooster goes ****-a-doodle-doo, but that's not what they say elsewhere.

Answer 7

If they are human, YES.

Answer 8

Some American natives (who were stone age people) would take their infants to a stream in winter, punch a hole in the ice and dunk the babies until they learned to endure it without crying.

This wasn't cruelty, they had to teach their offspring to be silent at a young age so they wouldn't scare prey or attract enemies. The survival of the tribe depended on it.

I believe that the climate, amount and certainty of the food supply, absence or presence of hostiles and preditors determined which ancients had the luxury of emotional displays.

IOW, some did, some didn't.

Answer 9

What kind of pompous cr*p is this. . . .

Answer 10

THEY ARE HUMANS!! YES!!

all types of people have nerves ok ..