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Evolution can be a great thing, but it seems our culture is winning the race to the detriment of our bodies.

In a recent talk, Harvard evolutionary biologist Jason Lieberman described five ways we haven’t evolved with the times, but maybe putting this knowledge into our big, old brains is the first step toward making healthy adjustments…starting January 1.

1. Stairs or escalator?

The sight of a flight of stairs next to an escalator probably strikes up a similar internal dialogue within most people. “Hmm, stairs … yeah, I’ll take the escalator. Although, I could probably use the exerci … no, I’ll take the escalator.”

One study that measured the percentage of people in the United States who chose stairs over escalators when both were available side by side found that only 3 percent chose the stairs, Lieberman said.

But a habit that modern people might view as lazy would have been considered smart by humanity’s ancestors: Hunting and gathering was energy-intensive, and short breaks of inactivity offered the rare chance to save hard-earned calories.

“If there were escalators in the Kalahari Desert, they would be using them too,” Lieberman said during his talk, referring to human ancestors. “And it makes sense that they would.”

Full story at LiveScience.

The science of slacking.

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