A bold new study published in PNAS Nexus argues that human language evolution was driven not merely by the need to survive, but by something more playful: wit. Linguist Ljiljana Progovac of Wayne State University proposes that quick-wittedness — the ability to combine words in clever, funny ways — was actively selected for through sexual selection. Our ancestors may have joked their way into complex language.
The Wit-as-Fitness Hypothesis
Progovac's study challenges two dominant narratives in human evolution: "survival of the fittest" (physical strength) and "survival of the friendliest" (prosociality). While both played a role, neither captures what makes humans unique. As she writes, "selection for quick-wittedness... needs to be added to the complex picture of human evolution."
This logic draws from Charles Darwin, who believed language evolved through sexual selection. Just as a peacock's tail signals genetic fitness, Progovac argues linguistic cleverness served as an honest signal of cognitive ability. Darwin observed that "the power to charm the female has been in some few instances more important than the power to conquer the other males." Applied to the evolution of language, the wittiest speakers enjoyed greater reproductive success, driving complex grammar across generations.
Cross-cultural evidence supports this. In Amazonia, the Pa'ikwené consider "good speakers" those with rhetorical competence. Among the Maori, "oratory is the prime qualification for entry into the power game." These examples suggest linguistic eloquence has long been tied to social status and reproductive access.
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Is this Homo erectus model amused or bemused? (Ginger/CC0)
Linguistic Fossils and the Birth of Humor
Progovac points to "living fossils" of early grammar: verb-noun compounds. Words like killjoy, pickpocket, and cry-baby represent the simplest grammatical structure, a verb combined with a noun. Yet they are remarkably expressive and humorous. Progovac argues these compounds approximate the earliest stage of human grammar, when our ancestors stumbled into metaphor and humor.
Neuroimaging shows these ancient constructions have special power. Compounds like killjoy produce a more vivid neural response than modern equivalents like joy killer, activating brain areas associated with detecting incongruity. According to Progovac, the earliest grammatical combinations "unleashed a potential for both metaphorical expression and humor, the crucial and intertwined ingredients of quick-wittedness."
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Comedians like Jose Dynamite continue to use many verbal and visual techniques to create humor. (Picryl/Public Domain)
Genetics and Self-Domestication
This hypothesis intersects with genetic evidence. The FOXP2 "language gene" and related neural networks are implicated in processing syntax, humor appreciation, and regulating aggression. The brain circuits that evolved for language also process wit and dampen violence.
Progovac describes a feedback loop between the "survival of the wittiest" and the "self-domestication" hypothesis. As verbal competition replaced physical aggression, genetic pressures for self-domestication (reduced aggression, lower cortisol) were reinforced. Humor reduces cortisol and acts as a stress antagonist. Wit may have simultaneously driven linguistic complexity and tamed our violent impulses.
Research also highlights sexual dimorphism in humor. Women sought mates who made them laugh twice as often as they offered to return the favor, and show greater neural reactivity to humor. This is consistent with sexual selection driving rapid evolutionary change.
What It Means to Be Human
Progovac concludes that the "crucial milestone in human evolution... was the emergence and entrenchment of the earliest forms of grammar," which unleashed metaphorical extension and humor. It was not just our brains that made us human, it was our jokes.
This reframing of evolution suggests the qualities we admire in comedians and poets are not mere cultural luxuries. As Progovac notes, quick-wittedness "is a form of art that appeals to some deep aesthetic and emotional aspect of human existence." We are genetically predisposed to love a good pun.
Top image: Early humans enjoying a humorous story in a cave setting. Source: AI Generated
By Gary Manners
References
Progovac, L. 2026. Survival of the wittiest (not friendliest): The art and science behind human linguistic and cognitive evolution. PNAS Nexus, Volume 5, Issue 3, March 2026. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/5/3/pgag052/8559600
