Psychology Today

More dialogue and debate about evolutionary psychology as a foundational, integrative meta-theory for psychology.

After the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of innocents, a friend of mine posted this question to his Facebook page: "Once again, we miss the obvious. It is boys and men who shoot, not girls and women! Mental illness aside, what is it about boys, men, and masculinity?"

The "Is This Person Really a Sex Differences Expert?" Test. Some questions you can ask to discover how much expertise a purported expert really has.

The majority of climate scientists believe that the evidence supporting anthropogenic climate change is overwhelming. So can you imagine how frustrating it must be for them to repeatedly hear the mis- and dis-information about their discipline from climate change deniers? Evolutionary psychologists too face similar uninformed criticisms.

Many of the recent discussions about "men behaving badly" have been confounded by attempts to simultaneously understand the phenomenon and condemn it. But like oil and water, causality and morality often don't mix well. If we wish to reduce behavior that we find morally objectionable, having an accurate understanding of why it occurs is an essential first step.

Someone once said that there were only two professions that can be relied on to tell the truth: scientists and humorists. Both can challenge our worldviews, criticize our most cherished beliefs, remind us of unpleasant truths, and stretch the limits of common courtesy. Both can be provocateurs.

The recent post by Dr. Darcia Narvaez criticizing evolutionary psychologists was exemplary, but not in a good way. It was a fairly typical example of how many self-appointed critics of evolutionary psychology often end up embarrassing themselves by betraying a stunning ignorance of the discipline.

Some social scientists apparently still haven't heard the news about the nature vs. nurture debate. It is over. Good riddance. It was a dead-end path to nowhere.

The "genetic mosaicism" of women's brains may lead to an interesting sex difference that spans many different traits: men show more within-sex variability than do women.