#proto-human

It is not so much about being a jerk, but jerks are more tenacious and aggressive, which helps in the archaic game of hierarchy climbing monkeys. Since most of this planet is still run by cavemen, that play by the old monkey rules, the smart and sensible ones seem to lose out on the game. The trick of those smarter apes is simply not to play the game at all. That is the true reason for the happiness of the enlightened ones.