The Human Beast

Why we do what we do.

Evolutionary psychologist Nigel Barber is the author of Why Parents Matter, The Science of Romance, among other books. See full bio

February 28, 2009

Why Is the New World So Violent: Parenting or Sex?

When Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, he must have stowed a few kegs of trouble! As well as sharing a similar history of colonization from Europe, the countries of the Americas (North, Central, and South) are by far the most violent region of the world in terms of crime (see Murder map). Read More

February 19, 2009

The wide world of polygamy: We hate it, others love it

Polygamy is so deeply detested in our society that Mormons like Mit Romney face an uphill task in getting elected even though the Mormons abandoned multiple marriage over a century ago (breakaway sects notwithstanding). Writing in defense of an anti-polygamy statute, in 1878, the U.S. supreme court noted that "Polygamy has always been odious among the northern and western nations of Europe..." They meant that it was not civilized. Why is our part of the world so hostile to polygamy? Read More

February 11, 2009

Do Wealthy Men Give More Orgasms?

The female partners of wealthy Chinese men report more frequent orgasm according to a study by researchers at Newcastle University, in England. Why? According to study authors, Thomas V. Pollet and Daniel Nettle, wealthy men are more desirable and thus "cause women to experience more orgasms." A fat wallet drives women wild with desire. Read More

Books by Nigel Barber, Ph.D.

The Myth of Culture: Why We Need a Genuine Natural Science of Societies

Kindness In A Cruel World: The Evolution Of Altruism

The Science of Romance: Secrets of the Sexual Brain

Encyclopedia of Ethics in Science and Technology (Facts on File Science Library)

Why Parents Matter: Parental Investment and Child Outcomes

Evolutionary Psychology Basics

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.

Go to the Evolutionary Psychology Basics page for more on Evolutionary Psychology including:

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