Could a greater understanding of human origins help to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents? Dr Penny Spikins, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, discusses her research revealing the surprising extent to which individuals in our evolutionary past depended on each other and how traits such as compassion and patience have driven human evolution.  Rethinking what may have been important to our early ancestors might give us a better understanding of how to help young people navigate modern day pressures.