Humans have stared down extinction from pandemics, war, famine, and more during our brief time on Earth. But how do we continue to remain resilient in the face of crises? A team of archeologists recently used computer simulations to measure the effectiveness and costs associated with four common resilience strategies to pinpoint which ones theoretically work best. The findings are described in a study published January 17 in the journal Science Advances.
What is resilience?
According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences. It is primarily achieved through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustments. For example, when the food supply falls, humans are faced with a few questions. Do we store what we have and hunker down to try and keep it safe, or do we leave to find help and potentially more resources? Our resilience can be measured by what we decide to do and their results.
Resilience is often touted as the solution to many crises faced by societies and as an inherent characteristic. However, it is not really a behavioral trait or a universal strategy that reliably works across all different crises. It is not one-size-fits all and is generally tailored based on the situation from a societal perspective, according to anthropologists.
[ Related: What the longest-lasting Mesoamerican cities all had in common. ]
Four resilience strategies
In this new study, a team of scientists analyzed four main resilience strategies–investment in infrastructure, exchange, mobility, and economic adjustment.
Investment in infrastructure includes building things including storage facilities, transportation networks, flood protections, and other more long-term solutions.
here
