What is the exact influence of genes on mate choices of humans? Does it affect males and females differently? Does the affect change based on whether the mate is for a short term relationship or long term relationship?
It is well known that genes located at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have a strong influence on human mate choices. The MHC is the densest part of the human genome and plays significant role in the auto immune system of humans. In order to improve the immunity capabilities, the MHC is believed to affect the mate choices, looking out for more a more different/diverse genetic partner, as this brings more new auto immune capabilities to their offspring. However this affect has not been analyzed across different sexes and for different relationship contexts.
Researchers from Australia recruited participants who were told to rate a huge collection of facial photos of the opposite sex for which genetic information was available. The rating was done on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not attractive at all. The rating was done both for a short-term and a long-term relationship. All of the photos were with neutral facial expression and with hair and rest of the body not shown.
Our behavior online is now a primary focus of researchers. One group of researchers believes that, our online behavior is no different to evolutionary behavior, as explained by evolutionary psychology.
Internet behavior is one of the most researched fields in the recent times. However most of the studies have based their research on traditional psychology models, which are good in determining the proximal causes of our online behavior. Researchers from UK are now proposing that our internet behavior is modeled upon evolutionary psychology and suggesting that, such a model would help learn the distal causes of our internet behavior.
Despite the major differences between face to face communication and computer mediated communication, there exist a lot of similarities. To further their claim and motivate fellow researchers, the researchers have made some interesting similarities between typical online behaviors and evolutionary psychology theories. Given below are few of those observations/suggestions. Further research into each of the following, would help us learn, whether we are following our evolutionary psychological behavior, online as well.
BBC’s Darwin season featured ‘Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life’ – an animation which illustrates an idea that Darwin and his contemporaries used to explain the evolutionary links between living things. This amazing animation was narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Given below is the HD video and the transcript of the narration.
