Evolutionary psychology views human psychological traits as adaptations for survival in our ancestors’ environment. Inclusive fitness is the ability to produce surviving offspring. The “incest taboo” is an evolved human reproductive tendency that reduces the likelihood of intrafamilial copulation. Evolutionary psychology has isolated and experimentally tested hundreds of human cognitive adaptations, overturning classical models of psychology.
Evolutionary psychology is an approach to psychology that views human psychological traits as adaptations for survival in the everyday environment of our ancestors (the evolutionary adaptation environment, or EEA). Since 99% of our history as a species has consisted of time spent surviving and reproducing on the African savannahs, evolutionary psychologists point out that our cognitive characteristics are sharply adapted for success in that environment, not today’s environment, which is a relatively recent phenomenon.
According to Darwinian theory, the organisms that best produce surviving offspring that then go on to produce more offspring are the organisms most likely to survive and persist in any terrestrial environment. This ability is called “inclusive fitness”. The mutational variants of a given species that possess the greatest amount of inclusive fitness are expected to pass their genes into the future with a higher success rate than variants with traits that provide a lower degree of inclusive fitness.
As an example of evolutionary psychology, consider the virtually universal vilification of romantic sibling relationships in Homo sapiens cultures. Evolutionary psychologists call this the “incest taboo,” isolating it as an evolved human reproductive tendency that is adaptive because it significantly reduces the likelihood of intrafamilial copulation. This act limits genetic diversity and tends to make offspring more susceptible to disease and genetic defects, especially if the process is repeated over a number of generations. The incest taboo is not a conscious decision that humans think about in the abstract and then decide: it exists because our evolved neurological apparatus inserts it into our minds on a subconscious level.
Evolutionary psychologists have isolated and experimentally tested hundreds of human cognitive adaptations, yielding great benefits in a variety of fields involving the study of human behavior. Evolutionary psychology is not simply a field, but a phenomenon, overturning classical models of psychology on a massive scale and placing the entire field on a more solid empirical basis. Evolutionary psychology has broad interdisciplinary appeal, being studied by philosophers, military strategists, politicians, businessmen, and a diverse range of scientists.
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