The musings of a Psych major

            As a psychology major, I get to take some of the most interesting classes offered on this campus (at least I think they are). This semester, I am taking an Evolutionary Psychology course. Although this area of psychology is rather new, it is gaining popularity in the psychology community and is intriguing. Evolutionary Psychologists aim to explain behavior, primarily human, using the theory of evolution through natural selection. While this concept seems a little obvious, many scientists in the past and even today thought that human behavior was beyond the simplistic explanations of natural selection. The more data that is collected in support of evolutionary psychology, however, the harder it is becoming to disprove. The difference between this phenomenon in humans and other species is that humans can usually choose to act against what evolution tells them to do instinctually while most other animals cannot.

            Evolutionary psychologists have explanations for nearly everything we do. Take incest disgust for example. Studies found that people that grow up together between the ages of 0 and 12 are disgusted at the thought of mating with each other. Whether or not the people are actually related does not matter. From an evolutionary standpoint, this disgust was selected to avoid incest depression, or the negative effects mating with relatives produces for offspring. The fact that this happens is relevant to all of us because incest is gross and without this adaptation it would not bother us! Uhm, gross.

            Perhaps a more immediately relevant theory I have learned in this course is the Parental Investment Theory and all of the sub theories that exist because of it. Essentially, this theory explains why men and women act the way they do in mating situations. Obviously, this affects all of us throughout our lives. While nothing you can learn in through Evolutionary Psychology will make you them master of dating, it can explain why people do some of the crazy things they do for love. For example, it’s a pretty well known fact that men spend copious amounts of money on things to impress women- cars, watches, shoes, etc. According to evolutionary psychologists, men do this because natural selection has created an adaptation for women that draws them to men with more resources. While this may sound sexist or offensive, it is a part of the parental investment theory. Over evolutionary time, the children women who were attracted to men with more resources did better than those of women who chose ill-providing men. Over time, the preference of high status males became instinct. Because of that, male tendencies to spend when in a mating mindset also developed. All of this might sounds boring, but it really does explain so much about human behavior. Because of this class, little things my friends or I do become something that could potentially be explained by natural selection. There is a reason women find men more attractive when they are pictured with babies. There is a reason men are traditionally viewed as the more promiscuous sex. In fact, there is even a reason it seems like none of the really good-looking men want long-term relationships. Ladies, it’s not us. Research shows that high testosterone levels are linked to attractiveness. Unfortunately, high testosterone levels are also linked with the desire for more mating partners and less desire for a long-term partner. Sad, yes; but it makes complete sense. Obviously, none of this applies to every individual perfectly. But hey, it’s still interesting, right? (Flatter me.)