Lovely countless nights building safe fires and maintaining while staring into into all night.
Fires can be transcendental and a rewarding experience of creating warmth and light from trees.
From an evolutionary perspective, light and warmth were desirable. So was being able to cook your food. Most predatory animals are also afraid of fire.
Humans seem to have mastered fire pretty far back in our evolution. Fire is part of what we are. If sometimes we get hurt--you can get hurt on a stone knife, too.
"Most predatory animals are also afraid of fire," there's a theory that something similar to that is why we have an enjoyment from capsaicin (the spicy chemical) and other spices; these were developed by plants to stop organisms from eating them, including micro organisms that "spoil food," humans noticed they don't get sick as often when eating the foods that make their mouth hurt like fire, and so humanity developed a liking for that sensation since it meant the food was more likely to be safe to eat.
Making fire is the single most important discovery in human history. Fire provides food, warmth,and safety from predators. It's comforting for the same reason a rainstorm is, safety from predators. Maintaining a fire means watching it, and that means survival.
Now I'm just imaging the equivalent of an ancient boomer hominid bitching about "damn kids these days and their fire. Itll be a cold day in hell before I COOK my food!" as they tear off a chunk of raw mammoth and break a tooth. I can't believe that in the significant amount of reading I've done on paleoanthropology that it took me til now to dream up "Cave Boomer"
AvE on YouTube did a couple of videos where he watches a “caveman tv” and discusses the benefits crystallized sunshine trapped in the shape of a log. Pretty decent listen if you have the time.
Contained fire but then there is also such a thing as a pyromaniac. I used to be one ! Something about the unpredictability and testing theories. Now I just use it for good like camping etc. I know how to make a fire 🤣
It's one of the few things that have apparent randomness at a fast pace. The other one is water, people like waterfalls and waves as well. Both are mesmerizing.
Every other non-living thing is slow and boring in comparison. Clouds, mountains, rocks, and sand.
Despite the inherent risks, fire is also fairly safe. Super important for keeping warm and drying potentially wet clothes to keep from freezing, provides a scalable light area depending on how big the fire is so nothing sneaks up, cooks food to kill harmful bacteria, boils water, and in an extreme emergency, a burning log may make a good weapon against a threat that isn’t scared of the light of the fire. Not to mention that it’s useful for crafting things. I believe one early method for spears was hardening the sharpened end of a stick with the fire, but I could be wrong on that.
most enjoy watching fire because it's warm, visually captivating, stimulates multiple sense, feels psychologically comforting, offers a safe sense of danger, all rooted in evolutionary and sensory responses
Some of my fondest memories are simply sitting by a fire for hours, reading it, listening to the sounds, tending it, watching the sun fall then rise.
Rarely a word to be said, perhaps company, perhaps they come and go. Just the constant amber dance and gentle crackle and pops, and what the hell a few snaps.
If this fire is something like a bonfire, then it should represent warmth and safety as it did in ancient times, and we still maintain this habit today. If this fire refers to a house burning down, then it likely reflects a "watching the excitement without fearing it escalating" mentality.
We are evolutionarily predisposed to fire. We have been using fire for so long that it predates the existence of homo sapiens, going back to homo erectus. Fire is the reason we have such big brains that use up tremendous amounts of energy, because it worked to pre-digest foods, making it easier to absorb nutrients. So a million years of it being a tool inherent to the species probably has something to do with it. But also being warm is pleasant. Just ask a cat.
One of the largest drivers of homo sapien evolution was our ability to control fire, which allowed us to cook food. Cooking food essentially preempts the digestion process so it takes less energy for us to digest food once it’s in our body. This metabolic advantage freed up calories for our very energy-intensive brains.
Fires also provide warmth and deter large predators and allows us to see in the dark. So it makes sense that we developed a tendency to sit around the fire at night.
Hell of a good question. I have lots of answers to many things. And I have no clue. But it's mesmerizing. If I had to guess, because even though it's merely a state of existence, not an object nor an animal, it has such lifelike qualities. We describe it in anthropormized language such as dancing flames.
Have you not looked into fire? That stuff is lit.
Lovely countless nights building safe fires and maintaining while staring into into all night. Fires can be transcendental and a rewarding experience of creating warmth and light from trees.
Lol! Sounds like op has never been sitting by a fire on psychapedelics.
Lmao the pun game is strong with this one
You won Reddit today!
From an evolutionary perspective, light and warmth were desirable. So was being able to cook your food. Most predatory animals are also afraid of fire.
Humans seem to have mastered fire pretty far back in our evolution. Fire is part of what we are. If sometimes we get hurt--you can get hurt on a stone knife, too.
Mogrog! How many times to tell! No touch Hotlight!
"Most predatory animals are also afraid of fire," there's a theory that something similar to that is why we have an enjoyment from capsaicin (the spicy chemical) and other spices; these were developed by plants to stop organisms from eating them, including micro organisms that "spoil food," humans noticed they don't get sick as often when eating the foods that make their mouth hurt like fire, and so humanity developed a liking for that sensation since it meant the food was more likely to be safe to eat.
So much so that we keep cultivating peppers to be worse and worse to push that limit
Much to my love/hate relationship for them haha.
Oh damn! I never thought of that angle but holy hell it makes sense! I love it!
1000s of generations of campfires as the bonding moments for the species. Maybe?
And you always have a stick to poke the fire.
And light the end of a stick on fire, extinguish it and wave the smoke around.
Making fire is the single most important discovery in human history. Fire provides food, warmth,and safety from predators. It's comforting for the same reason a rainstorm is, safety from predators. Maintaining a fire means watching it, and that means survival.
Very important it doesn't go out. Better watch that all night...
Yep. Same reason people are night owls.
Fire pretty
Woman pretty
Probably natural selection. Humans that didn't enjoy it, didn't cook their meat, and were eliminated from the gene pool
Except for the ones that didn’t but befriended the ones that did … or were very very sneaky and stole cooked food
There's people like that today. In all regards. So, I believe people did just that throughout history.
Sneaky rat coworker stealing lunches, take as old as humanity
Now I'm just imaging the equivalent of an ancient boomer hominid bitching about "damn kids these days and their fire. Itll be a cold day in hell before I COOK my food!" as they tear off a chunk of raw mammoth and break a tooth. I can't believe that in the significant amount of reading I've done on paleoanthropology that it took me til now to dream up "Cave Boomer"
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to imagine that as well. Lol. You have an awesome imagination.
We need to explore boomer and Karen evolution.
This is a bit later on, but you might also enjoy this Mitchell and Webb video of stone age humans refusing to accept bronze. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyu4u3VZYaQ
Watching dangerous stuff is a draw. Tornados, fights, dare devils. You name it.
What do you mean "even though"?
Prometheus went to the trouble of stealing it. The least we can do is look at it.
It's beautiful, mesmerizing, warm, gives light, and cooks food.
Pretty metal if you ask me.
Because it’s a lot more dangerous if you AREN’T watching it.
It provides warmth and safety. Good things to be attracted to for our primitive ancestors.
It’s mesmerizing!
Fire bad!
Tigers are dangerous and I like watching them
Give me a data point that proves whatever point you're trying to make, OP
Because it looks awesome and it’s usually not a danger to the person sitting and watching.
Fire isn't necessarily dangerous if it's well controlled. It's also necessary for survival - warmth, cooked food.
Fire is highly situational. 🔥 Forest fire? 😬 Nightmarishly terrible! 💀 A small fire on a candle? Lovely. 😌
It gives a sense of control over something powerful and destructive, which can be thrilling.
Fire was one of the early human developments that have us an edge over our rivals. Our brains are drawn to it.
AvE on YouTube did a couple of videos where he watches a “caveman tv” and discusses the benefits crystallized sunshine trapped in the shape of a log. Pretty decent listen if you have the time.
I recently went to a lake. The water movement was beautiful mesmerizing. Better than watching a fire
Freezing to death doesn't get your genes passed down.
I see her dancing in the flames. Her smold’ring eyes still scorch my soul.
Fire also meant heat, light, safety, and hot meals to our ancestors.
Pretty girls are dangerous too, we love to look at them.
Contained fire but then there is also such a thing as a pyromaniac. I used to be one ! Something about the unpredictability and testing theories. Now I just use it for good like camping etc. I know how to make a fire 🤣
It's one of the few things that have apparent randomness at a fast pace. The other one is water, people like waterfalls and waves as well. Both are mesmerizing.
Every other non-living thing is slow and boring in comparison. Clouds, mountains, rocks, and sand.
Pretty.
Despite the inherent risks, fire is also fairly safe. Super important for keeping warm and drying potentially wet clothes to keep from freezing, provides a scalable light area depending on how big the fire is so nothing sneaks up, cooks food to kill harmful bacteria, boils water, and in an extreme emergency, a burning log may make a good weapon against a threat that isn’t scared of the light of the fire. Not to mention that it’s useful for crafting things. I believe one early method for spears was hardening the sharpened end of a stick with the fire, but I could be wrong on that.
You're correct about the spear tips.
most enjoy watching fire because it's warm, visually captivating, stimulates multiple sense, feels psychologically comforting, offers a safe sense of danger, all rooted in evolutionary and sensory responses
Some of my fondest memories are simply sitting by a fire for hours, reading it, listening to the sounds, tending it, watching the sun fall then rise.
Rarely a word to be said, perhaps company, perhaps they come and go. Just the constant amber dance and gentle crackle and pops, and what the hell a few snaps.
because the night is dark and full of terrors
If this fire is something like a bonfire, then it should represent warmth and safety as it did in ancient times, and we still maintain this habit today. If this fire refers to a house burning down, then it likely reflects a "watching the excitement without fearing it escalating" mentality.
fire is pretty fire ngl
We are evolutionarily predisposed to fire. We have been using fire for so long that it predates the existence of homo sapiens, going back to homo erectus. Fire is the reason we have such big brains that use up tremendous amounts of energy, because it worked to pre-digest foods, making it easier to absorb nutrients. So a million years of it being a tool inherent to the species probably has something to do with it. But also being warm is pleasant. Just ask a cat.
Cuz fire often meant cooked food is soon.
It’s a thing that goes back to caveman times. Fire equals safety from wild animals , fire equals cooking food, fire equals warmth.
Can-tok make a foonfa
Nobody knows why, but it's provocative.
The only thing I love more than staring at fire is random Capitalization
One of the largest drivers of homo sapien evolution was our ability to control fire, which allowed us to cook food. Cooking food essentially preempts the digestion process so it takes less energy for us to digest food once it’s in our body. This metabolic advantage freed up calories for our very energy-intensive brains.
Fires also provide warmth and deter large predators and allows us to see in the dark. So it makes sense that we developed a tendency to sit around the fire at night.
Can’t survive with out it
Evolution
Fire is life, when I watch the glow it reminds me of a mother’s womb creating energy.
Fires badass
Looks cool
God made it all
Yet he made everything afraid of Fire.
Except hoomans.
I can watch a fire and my brain zones out looking at its beauty the same way it does watching fish swim - my brain needs that downtime
Hell of a good question. I have lots of answers to many things. And I have no clue. But it's mesmerizing. If I had to guess, because even though it's merely a state of existence, not an object nor an animal, it has such lifelike qualities. We describe it in anthropormized language such as dancing flames.