Evolutionary Psychology
Sociobiology

Our bodies evolved over eons, slowly calibrating to the African savanna on which 98 percent of our ancestors lived and died. So, too, did our brains. Evolutionary psychology postulates that the mind is shaped by pressure to survive and reproduce. We jealously guard romantic partners and cherish our closest relatives above all others, lest we fail to pass on our genes. We easily acquire language, which is critical for cooperation and hence survival. Differential calculus and sky-diving are much harder to fathom—such activities did not exist for most of human history, and hence our brains are not adapted to such scenarios. The fact that people nonetheless routinely undertake such behavior is a testatment to the plasticitiy of the brain and the importance of individual differences. Evolutionary psychology acknowledges these forces but stresses the ultimate (and largely unconscious) gene's eye view of behavior.

Evolutionary Psychology Tests

Egoism Vs. Altruism

Do you tend to be self-centered or are you compassionate?

Jealousy - Straight Men

Is your jealousy detrimental?

Jealousy - Straight Women

Is your man looking elsewhere?

Sex Personality Test

Are you sexually creative and adventurous?

Evolutionary Psychology Blogs

  • Satoshi Kanazawa

    The Scientific Fundamentalist

    A Look at the Hard Truths About Human Nature
  • Carole A. Travis-Henikoff

    All Things Human

    An anthropologist explores the science of anomalous occurrences, death and dying, grief, and societal beliefs.
  • Nigel Barber

    The Human Beast

    Why we do what we do.
  • Michael Kaplan

    Bozo Sapiens

    Exploring how our cognitive, logical, and romantic failures are a fair price for our extraordinary success as a species.
  • Marnia Robinson

    Cupid's Poisoned Arrow

    Why does the honeymoon end--and what can we do?
  • Kayla Causey and Aaron Goetz

    A Natural History of the Modern Mind

    Cognition, relationships, and evolution.
  • John Bargh

    The Natural Unconscious

    Automaticity in cognition, motivation, and emotion.
  • Rachel Herz

    Smell Life

    Discovering our enigmatic sense of smell.
  • Michael R. Cunningham, Ph.D.

    Love & Work, Power & Play

    Discussion of the social and evolutionary forces that influence personal and public relationships, including romance, work behavior, the media and politics.
  • Christopher Ryan

    Sex at Dawn

    Exploring the evolutionary origins of modern sexuality.

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