#evolutionary-psychology
#evolutionary-psychology

1 day ago

Why Yawns Help Us Spot Spiders and Cockroaches Faster

Contagious yawning functions as a social alarm that increases group vigilance, improving rapid detection of threats like spiders and cockroaches.

2 weeks ago

Why You Should Indulge Your Morbid Curiosity

Do you run to a haunted house every Halloween? Do you rubberneck after a grizzly car crash? Do you devour grotesque true crime documentaries? If so, that's natural-and it may even be good for you, according to Coltan Scrivner, a researcher of all things macabre and a fan as well-one recent project was founding a horror film festival where he lives in the Ozarks.

Miscellaneous

Psychology

3 weeks ago

Understanding Dissociative States

Dissociation is an evolutionarily driven protective cognitive response that everyone experiences, often benignly, but can become maladaptive after trauma.

Mental health

3 weeks ago

Why Are You Always Worried About What Others Think of You?

Fear of judgment rooted in early caregiving can dominate behavior, but acknowledging and addressing it allows regaining control of life.

US politics

3 weeks ago

Leaders for the World We Think We Live In

Human leader preferences shift with environmental stability: volatile times favor dominant disruptors while stable periods favor prestige-based, prosocial consensus leaders.

Could Retaliation and Revenge Be Adaptive 'Superpowers'?

Evolutionary psychologists propose that behaviors such as social cognition, emotion, and behavior evolved due to their adaptive nature, manifesting universally across cultures and individuals.

Philosophy

Toronto startup

Do You Labubu?

Collecting Labubu dolls leverages evolutionary impulses, nostalgia, and dopamine rewards.

The Evolutionary Psychology of Chronic Pain

New research indicates that pain symptoms evolved to signal to others when help is needed, fostering a community of helpers around those in pain.

Psychology

Rebuilding the Trust We've Lost in a Fractured Society

Trust isn't just good manners or playing nice. It's something we live on, whether we realize it or not. We use it every time we open up to someone, every time we take a chance that they'll show up, follow through, or just treat us right.

Relationships

Digital life

Why Wrong Information Is Worse Than No Information

Misinformation poses greater risks than ignorance due to human evolved instincts that facilitate the spread of false information.

The Complicated Truth About Lying

Lying is baked into human behavior. Research indicates that most people lie occasionally, while some lie daily. However, not all lies are intended to harm.

Philosophy

The Enemy Within: Evolution's Role in Human Conflict

Evolutionary roots of aggression fuel in-group loyalty and out-group hostility, complicating modern social interactions.

Philosophy

The Ancestral Mind: How Evolution Shapes Our Opinions

Beliefs are influenced more by evolved biases and environment than by pure logic.

5 Evolution-Based Relationship Don'ts

Research conducted by Buss and colleagues illustrates a universal preference for kindness in romantic partners across various cultures, suggesting kindness is crucial for long-term relationships.

Relationships

Why Your Neighbor's New Car Feels Like a Personal Attack

Envy is a universal signal, not a moral failure. It's evolution's way of showing you what you care about.

Psychology

Women

Are Girls Smarter Than Boys?

Girls display superior critical thinking attributed to evolutionary survival demands.

How Evolution Has Shaped Faulty Logic

Even with all our progress in science and education, people still confuse correlation with causation. It's not just about not knowing statistics. This mix-up runs deeper.

Psychology

#depression

Mental health

Can Evolution Help Explain Depression?

Mental health

How Social Evolution Explains Clinical Depression

Mental health

Can Evolution Help Explain Depression?

Mental health

How Social Evolution Explains Clinical Depression

Social competition influences human emotional health, particularly in depression.

Depression signals submission in competitive social contexts.

Modern life intensifies social comparison leading to feelings of inadequacy.

Recognizing evolution's role helps mitigate depression's effects.

more#depression

Why We Love to Gamble

Gambling has a universal appeal, ranging from casinos to childhood games, from lottery tickets to crypto trading. It taps into our evolved instinct to take risks in pursuit of potential rewards.

Mental health

World politics

The Paradox of Power

The brain struggles with the contradictory idea of achieving peace through military strength.

6 Evolutionary Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids' Education

Before the advent of agriculture, all humans were nomadic, living outside in stable groups, and this influences modern understanding of education.

Parenting

Social justice

Why Juneteenth Matters

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of African Americans' emancipation in Texas, highlighting the delayed freedom post-Lincoln's Proclamation.

Relationships

The Deep Sting of Rejection

Rejection is painful due to our evolutionary wiring to avoid it, impacting emotional well-being.

Employing healthy coping strategies can mitigate rejection's pain and support growth.

Relationships

Why More Is Never Enough

Our insatiable nature is an evolved survival mechanism.

The hedonic treadmill impairs lasting satisfaction from material possessions.

Understanding our evolution helps us manage our desires better.

Borderline Instincts: The Roots of Emotional Extremes

BPD traits may have evolved to provide advantages in unstable environments.

Emotional responses found in BPD could have historically contributed to survival.

Support for those with BPD requires compassion, education, and therapeutic approaches.

When Siblings Collide

Sibling conflict is rooted in evolutionary competition for resources and identity.

Family dynamics and parenting styles significantly influence sibling relationships.

Conflict resolution strategies can enhance emotional intelligence and sibling connections.

Why You Always Say Yes

People-pleasing is rooted in the fawn response to stress learned during childhood for safety.

Fawning helped our ancestors survive by maintaining group harmony, but may hinder personal boundaries today.

Recognizing fawning patterns is essential for improving self-worth and relationship dynamics.

Psychology

Autistic Intelligences as Evolutionarily Adaptations

Autistic traits can be viewed as adaptive intelligences evolved for specific functions.

Why Our Ancestral Instincts Still Shape Modern Rage

Violence has evolved as a strategic tool for survival.

Ancient aggression circuits can misfire in contemporary life.

Prevention requires education, equity, and cultural shifts.

Wired for Risk: The Genetic Roots of Bold Behavior

Risk-taking has deep evolutionary roots that may benefit survival and reproduction.

ADHD traits reflect behaviors that were adaptive in ancestral environments, not strictly modern disorders.

Why Instincts Matter

Instincts serve as an evolved survival mechanism essential for modern decision-making.

Combining instincts with rational thought leads to successful outcomes.

Understanding instincts can aid in personal growth and resilience.

Why Cautious Kids Thrive

Children slow to warm up possess a valuable temperament that favors caution and careful observation, rather than anxiety or disorder.

Mental health

Online Community Development

Mistaking Anecdotes for Facts

People prioritize anecdotal evidence over statistical data due to cognitive biases and emotional connections.

Why We Were Never Meant to Live in Large Cities

Small communities align with our evolved social needs, while large cities challenge mental health and community cohesion.

fromScary Mommy

Study: Women Tune In To Infant Distress -- Even If They're Not Parents

Women can subconsciously detect infant distress cues more effectively than adult distress, suggesting this ability may be fundamental to human caregiving.