---
title: Machiavellian Intelligence
date: "2001-07-21T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1740
description: The Machiavellian Intelligence hypothesis posits that primate brains evolved primarily to handle complex social interactions rather than for foraging or tool use. This theory suggests social competition and cooperation drove the development of higher cognitive functions.
keywords: [machiavellian intelligence, evolutionary psychology, social brain hypothesis, primate evolution, cognitive development, anthropology]
---

The [Machiavellian Intelligence](http://cognet.mit.edu/MITECS/Entry/whiten) hypothesis says that the brain evolved more for its social purpose, than for finding food and things like that. Incidentally, Google's collection on [evolution](http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Biology/Evolution/) is as comprehensive as ever.