And that is what Dr Brian Hare and Dr Vanessa Woods, two researchers from Duke University's Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, take issue with.
Speaking to BBC Reel, Dr Woods said: “When it comes to Darwin, we did absolutely misunderstand ‘survival of the fittest’.
“Fitness is just your ability to reproduce.
“This idea that you had to be the biggest and the strongest and the meanest in order to succeed is not what Darwin meant at all.”
Charles Darwin put forward his theory on evolution two centuries ago (Image: GETTY)
Darwin became famous for his hypothesis (Image: GETTY)
Dr Woods, who co-authored 'Survival of the Friendliest’ with Dr Hare, says the theory has become ingrained in society.