Recent developments in the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted how the success of a viral variant is in large part a function of how severely it impacts its host. Too weak and the virus will fail in its “mission” to replicate. But if the impact is too strong, the host can perish – along with the overly aggressive virus.

Metaphorically, it seems clear that it is becoming increasingly urgent that we assess the consequences of different “human variants” with respect to how they treat the host that enables them to thrive – that is, Planet Earth. If human activity is too timid, opportunities to enhance the well-being of billions of people could be significantly inhibited. But if the impact on our planetary host is too strong, the human race could become extinct – the fate that has befallen an estimated 99%+ of all species that have ever existed on Earth.

Although each individual person has a somewhat unique configuration of inherited and developed qualities, it is possible to identify two major lifestyle and leadership patterns in the evolution of humanity.

VARIANT #1: In this variant, self-interest and self-promotion are the dominant themes. Our early hominid ancestors lived in alpha male hierarchies that clearly but inflexibly defined each individual’s status and permissible roles. Such hierarchies can be effective in promoting social order, and yet their ability to provide solutions to novel ecological and social problems is very limited, as group members are generally not empowered to participate in problem solving and decision making roles. Indeed, it is common for dominant individuals and dominant coalitions to become increasingly oppressive and self-serving as they exercise the power and control afforded by their position at the top of the hierarchy.

Notably, it is not just the dominant leaders who represent this human variant, but also the followers who are controlled by (or dependent on) the dominant leaders but who nevertheless resonate to the clarity and predictability of this ancient, evolved adaptation pattern.

VARIANT #2: in this variant, cooperation and egalitarian relationships are the primary themes. People in groups organized around such themes naturally engage in teamwork, teaching and learning, and shared decision making because they prioritize the “greater good” and have an evolved sense that “harm to others is harm to the self” (Damasio, 2003, p.172). Because Variant #2 emerged from Variant #1 as a result of ecological and social selection pressures, self-interest motives remain strong, but in dynamic partnership with social purpose goals (i.e., those related to belongingness, equity, social responsibility, and others’ resource needs).

These two variants can be abbreviated as SP1 (self-promotion emphasis) and SP2 (social purpose emphasis added to a self-promotion foundation).

Now, it is already clear from our evolutionary history which variant is (far) more likely to lead to a positive outcome for humanity and its planetary host. As explained in our book, Motivating Self and Others: Thriving with Social Purpose, Life Meaning, and the Pursuit of Core Personal Goals (Cambridge University Press, 2021), social purpose has played a powerful catalytic role in the development of our species’ most spectacular achievements – for example, bigger brains, shared caregiving, cooperative problem solving, and cumulative cultural evolution. Indeed, it was precisely when focusing on others’ well-being began to feel as rewarding as self-enhancing goal pursuits that humanity began to soar, as illustrated by rapid population growth throughout the planet and by astounding advances in science, technology, and the arts. When our experience of well-being became closely tied to actions such as cooperating with others, sharing resources, and helping our companions, we became more likely to engage in adaptive behaviors that enhanced our collective survival.

And yet the appeal of the SP1 variant remains strong in human nature, as illustrated by the persistence of “strongman” leaders and the widening income gap between rich and poor citizens of the world. The failure of many SP1 leaders to prioritize the need to care for an increasingly damaged and disrupted “Mother Earth” is a particularly disconcerting phenomenon – one that suggests that SP1 could never become the dominant variant on our planet for very long. Why? Because if SP1 leadership becomes the prevailing norm in the world’s most influential societies, our planetary host will, before long, no longer be able to support life as we know it.

Our collective survival and well-being depend on the ability of all of humanity to work collaboratively toward unified “person-planet” goals. Prioritizing and preserving the well-being of our host is the only way to sustain our own well-being.

A shared, sustained commitment to helping the SP2 variant “go viral” at all levels of governance and commerce is thus very clearly the best way to ensure the survival and well-being of our increasingly vulnerable species and our increasingly fragile host.