Generalization is much better survival trait in a harsh Paleolithic world where you've only got about 10-20 other adults to help you survive. Hunting is only sporadically successful. Everyone has to find food every day. Everyone has to know how to protect themselves, light a fire, etc. New research indicates that ancient women were hunters and that men were undoubtedly gatherers too because that makes infinitely more sense than some kind of artificial binary.

"Ethnographic data and assessments of burial grounds and skeletal remains indicate that prehistoric societies had a more egalitarian division of labor, with women participating heavily in hunting."

Optimization makes sense if you're on an assembly line with hundreds or thousands of other people doing their own little task. It makes no sense in a world where every person must be as adaptable and multi-skilled as possible if they expect to live.