Attraction can sometimes be a very complex thing. What one man finds attractive in a woman, another may not. This is especially true when we take into account the psychological make-up of a person, shaped by his past life experiences. But, for the most part, the attraction is mainly determined by certain evolved physical and mental […]
Risk-taking behaviour in men and women
Why do men more engage in risk-taking behaviour more often than women? I’m sure you’ve seen one of those clips on social media where people, predominantly men, injure themselves doing silly things. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. In our ancestral times, hunting was a risky but potentially rewarding activity. A successful hunt provided more […]
Why women love shopping and men go camping
It was like a typical evening of any modern family. The teenaged boy was tapping on his phone vigorously while his sister kept scrolling on her own device. “Look, I just hunted a dinosaur!”, the sense of achievement on the boy’s face was unmistakable. “Let me see”, the girl put down her own device and starting tapping on […]
How food preferences have shaped the human psyche
Consumption of food plays a pivotal role in ensuring the survival and functionality of all organisms- be it a single-celled amoeba, a plant or a human being. All living organisms are programmed to obtain food from their environments in some way or the other. Besides being programmed to obtain food, we humans have also evolved […]
We’re all evolved to be hunter-gatherers
Modern homo sapiens evolved around 200,000 years ago and lived mainly as hunter-gatherers. They mostly led nomadic lives moving from place to place in search of food. Their bodies had evolved to make them efficient hunter-gatherers and this continued for thousands of years. Changes in the hunter-gatherer way of life began only recently with respect […]
What is the purpose of life? (Evolutionary perspective)
What is the purpose of life?Why are we born?Why do we get married and have kids, and then grand-kids? This article will attempt to answer all these questions from an evolutionary perspective. But first, I want to introduce you to Elaine: As soon as she was born, Elaine was showered with love and attention from […]
How evolved psychological mechanisms work
An evolved psychological mechanism is a behavioural program present in an organism that tends to ensure its survival and reproductive success. Over the period of evolution of an organism, behavioural strategies that enable its successful survival and reproduction get selected and are passed on to succeeding generations. The result is that the behavioural strategies you […]
What is evolutionary psychology (for beginners)
Evolutionary psychology, as the name suggests, is the application of the principles of evolutionary theory to psychology. Before you can understand how evolutionary theory can be applied to human behaviour, you need to first have a firm grasp on the evolutionary theory itself. Theory of evolution It’s the year 2500 A.D. and mankind is on […]
Why do we laugh (an evolutionary perspective)
Why do we laugh? Why do we smile? As much as I enjoy laughter and jokes, I also find these phenomena weird. I mean, if you think about it, laughter is creepy. You open your mouth wide open as if to engulf the earth and go ‘HAHAHA’ whilst shaking your body like a vibrator and sometimes even […]
Why do we smile? Purpose of smiling
When someone smiles at you, it tells you very clearly that the person acknowledges you and approves of you. No one can deny how good it feels to give and receive a smile. You can never expect harm from a smiling person. A smile makes us feel really good, secure and comfortable. But why is that? Our close […]