In our ancestral times, hunting was a cool activity. A successful hunt provided more calories than one could gather from plants growing in the wild. The extra calories could be provided not only to one’s own family but also to one’s neighbours.Consequently, successful hunters gained respect and high status in our ancestral times. But hunting is […]
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 her […]
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 to […]
What is the purpose of human life (an evolutionary perspective)
As soon as she was born, Elaine was showered with love and attention from all of her family, especially her parents. The joy on her parents’ faces when they held the tiny creature in their hands was unparalleled. Throughout her childhood, Elaine’s parents provided for, loved and cared for her. They met all her demands […]
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 see […]
Understanding 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 evolutionary theory itself.Theory of evolution It’s the year 2500 A.D. and mankind is on the verge […]
Why do we laugh (an evolutionary perspective)
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 rolling on the floor like a baby. […]
Why do we smile? The purpose of smiling in humans
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 closest cousins […]