Dr David McGrath

Spine Physician

MB BS (Hons) FAFOM, RACP, FAFMM
Master of Pain Medicine

This is arguably our greatest emotion. This emotion is responsible for the development of language and derivative phenomena ,such as thinking and conceptualisation.(ref H. Maturana)
It is the emotion that preferentally anticipates and accepts a social disturbance over and above others. This is also the emotion of love.
As with other emotions,it has a purpose and advantage for our survival. Cooperative behavior is successful for us a species and for us individually. (It is a good idea to read The Why of Emotion )
A contingency table might look like like this,

BehaviourOutcome	Successful Outcome	Unsuccessful Outcome
Cooperative Behaviour	60	40
Non Social Behaviour	50	50

Even a smaller advantage to cooperative behaviour would lead to a considerable survival advantage over a few generations.
What are we being cooperative about ?
Initially it was probably issues like, food gathering, protecting the group, and child rearing. That might have developed into passing objects as we became more dextrous.
Vocalisations and gestures are the currency of cooperative behaviour. Under this emotion, they have 100% redeemable value. You beckon, and I come. I beckon, and you come. This emotion glues us together as a society. Without it, it would disintegrate. Interestingly, once this behaviour internalised, the origin of free-will or intention, is obvious. I beckon myself,and I go. Ergo,I have free will.
The development of speech, is really a sophisticated to and fro, question and answer sequence, before the definitive action. You beckon, I express facial uncertainty, and you reply with greater emphasis. I come. All of this occurs,under an emotion of cooperation. Language therefore is a derivative of cooperation.
What's this got to do with spines ?
Not much in particular, but in a general sense, everything. I am sharing insights which will assist in your recovery. You may share your experiences. Together we have greater knowledge. This is occuring under the emotion of cooperation.