Sexual selection under parental choice: The role of parents in the evolution of human mating

Abstract Much of the evolutionary literature on human mating is based on the assumption of extensive female choice during the history of our species. However, ethnographic evidence from foraging societies reveals that, in societies thought to be akin to those of our ancestors, female choice is constrained by the control that parents exercise over their daughters. Data from 190 hunting and gathering societies indicate that almost all reproduction takes place while the woman is married and that the institution of marriage is regulated by parents and close kin. Parents are able to influence the mating decisions of both sons and daughters, but stronger control is exercised with regard to daughters; male parents have more say in selecting in-laws than their female counterparts. In light of the fact that parental control is the typical pattern of mate choice among extant foragers, it is likely that this pattern was also prevalent throughout human evolution. Because daughters' preferences can be expected not to fully coincide with those of their parents, research to date may thus have simultaneously overestimated the contribution of female preferences to processes of sexual selection and underestimated the contribution of parental preferences to such processes

Sexual selection under parental choice: The role of parents in the evolution of human mating

Abstract Much of the evolutionary literature on human mating is based on the assumption of extensive female choice during the history of our species. However, ethnographic evidence from foraging societies reveals that, in societies thought to be akin to those of our ancestors, female choice is constrained by the control that parents exercise over their daughters. Data from 190 hunting and gathering societies indicate that almost all reproduction takes place while the woman is married and that the institution of marriage is regulated by parents and close kin. Parents are able to influence the mating decisions of both sons and daughters, but stronger control is exercised with regard to daughters; male parents have more say in selecting in-laws than their female counterparts. In light of the fact that parental control is the typical pattern of mate choice among extant foragers, it is likely that this pattern was also prevalent throughout human evolution. Because daughters' preferences can be expected not to fully coincide with those of their parents, research to date may thus have simultaneously overestimated the contribution of female preferences to processes of sexual selection and underestimated the contribution of parental preferences to such processes

MISLEADING PERCEPTIONS WITH ETHNIC MINORITIES: THE CASE OF PONTIAC GREEKS IN CYPRUS

Immigration policy in Cyprus was largely formulated in the 1990s, with the intent to meet the labour shortages as a result of the growth in tourism. Consequently, a large number of Pontiacs (or Pontic-Greeks) of Greek origin from the Caucasus region migrated to the Republic of Cyprus. Today, the overall number of Pontiacs is estimated to be a total of about 20,000, out of which 10,000-12,000 are living in the Municipality of Paphos. This paper aims to highlight the importance of the use of social services by Pontic-Greeks as part of their integration into the local society. Ethnic Pontic-Greeks in Paphos were asked to describe their current living conditions and their relationships with the local society and the use of social services, such as community kindergartens, children after-school services, nursing homes, senior citizens centres, and social welfare agencies. Τhe analysis articulated an underuse or no use at all of social services by PonticGreeks, mainly because they are not aware of these services or they hesitate to use them because they do not feel comfortable with the dominant population group; an issue that is an impediment to their social integration

Singles’ Reasons for Being Single:Empirical Evidence From an Evolutionary Perspective

A relatively large number of people in Western societies are single; that is, they are not involved in any romantic relationship. In this study, we have attempted to investigate the reasons for singlehood by asking singles themselves. A final sample of 648 American singles (307 of them women) rated 92 possible reasons for singlehood. These reasons were classified into 18 broad factors and four general domains. Among the most important reasons were poor flirting skills, freedom, fear of getting hurt, having different priorities, and being too picky. Significant sex and age effects were found across different factors and domains. More specifically, men were more likely than women to indicate that they were single in order to be free to flirt around, and because they were not into family making; while women were more likely to indicate that they were single in order to avoid getting hurt, and because they have considered themselves not to be desirable as mates. Younger people were more likely to indicate that they were single because they had poor flirting skills, because they did not see themselves as desirable mates, and because they did not like commitment; whereas older people were more likely to indicate that they were single in order to be free to do what they have wanted. Findings were examined and discussed using evolutionary theories relating to mate selection and evolutionary mismatch.Nanyang Technological UniversityPublished versionThis study was supported by the Nanyang Technological University’s NAP-SUG scheme that was awarded to GE

MISLEADING PERCEPTIONS WITH ETHNIC MINORITIES: THE CASE OF PONTIAC GREEKS IN CYPRUS

Immigration policy in Cyprus was largely formulated in the 1990s, with the intent to meet the labour shortages as a result of the growth in tourism. Consequently, a large number of Pontiacs (or Pontic-Greeks) of Greek origin from the Caucasus region migrated to the Republic of Cyprus. Today, the overall number of Pontiacs is estimated to be a total of about 20,000, out of which 10,000-12,000 are living in the Municipality of Paphos. This paper aims to highlight the importance of the use of social services by Pontic-Greeks as part of their integration into the local society. Ethnic Pontic-Greeks in Paphos were asked to describe their current living conditions and their relationships with the local society and the use of social services, such as community kindergartens, children after-school services, nursing homes, senior citizens centres, and social welfare agencies. Τhe analysis articulated an underuse or no use at all of social services by PonticGreeks, mainly because they are not aware of these services or they hesitate to use them because they do not feel comfortable with the dominant population group; an issue that is an impediment to their social integration

Želim to gledati! Evolucijska perspektiva popularnosti sporta

There are many different sports, and some are more popular for watching than others. The present paper attempts to address the question why sports vary in popularity. To this end, an evolutionary framework is employed that indicates that sports have evolved to enable the reliable exchange of information of unobserved traits. Six of these traits are nominated, namely, physical strength, stamina, speed, dexterity, aggression and team spirit. On this basis, it is predicted that sports which require higher competence in these traits, and thus are better in transferring information on these dimensions, are more popular than sports which require less competence. Analysis on data based on 34 different sports supports this prediction. The implications of these finding are further discussed.Aunque existen numerosos deportes, algunos son más populares que otros. Este trabajo trata de responder por qué los deportes varían en cuanto a la popularidad. Para lograr este objetivo se ha utilizado un marco evolutivo que indica que el deporte ha evolucionado para posibilitar un intercambio fiable de informaciones sobre las características no notadas. Se han extraído seis características de este tipo: fuerza física, resistencia, velocidad, habilidad, agresividad y espíritu de equipo. A base de esto se ha llegado a la siguiente hipótesis: los deportes que exigen más competencias en dichas características, y al mismo tiempo transmiten mejor las informaciones en dimensiones mencionadas, son más populares que aquellos que exigen menos competencias. El análisis llevado a cabo a base de 34 deportes diferentes confirma esta hipótesis. Las implicaciones de resultados obtenidos están descritas en el trabajo.Premda postoje brojni sportovi, neki su neki popularniji od drugih. Ovim se radom pokušava odgovoriti na pitanje zašto sportovi variraju u popularnosti. Za ostvarenje je tog cilja korišten evolucijski okvir koji indicira da je sport evoluirao da bi omogućio pouzdanu izmjenu informacija o neopaženim osobinama. Izdvojeno je šest takvih osobina: fizička snaga, izdržljivost, brzina, spretnost, agresivnost i timski duh. Na temelju je toga postavljena hipoteza da su sportovi koji zahtijevaju više kompetencija u navedenim osobinama, a pritom i bolje prenose informacije u spomenutim dimenzijama, popularniji od onih koji zahtijevaju manje kompetencija. Analiza provedena na temelju 34 različita sporta potvrđuje ovu hipotezu. Implikacije su dobivenih rezultata opisane u radu

Increased birth rank of homosexual males: disentangling the older brother effect and sexual antagonism hypothesis

Male homosexual orientation remains a Darwinian paradox, as there is no consensus on its evolutionary (ultimate) determinants. One intriguing feature of homosexual men is their higher male birth rank compared to heterosexual men. This can be explained by two non-exclusive mechanisms: an antagonistic effect (AE), implying that more fertile women have a higher chance of having a homosexual son and to produce children with a higher mean birth rank, or a fraternal birth effect (FBOE), where each additional older brother increases the chances for a male embryo to develop a homosexual orientation due to an immunoreactivity process. However, there is no consensus on whether both FBOE and AE are present in human populations, or if only one of these mechanisms is at play with its effect mimicking the signature of the other mechanism. An additional sororal birth order effect (SBOE) has also recently been proposed. To clarify this situation, we developed theoretical and statistical tools to study FBOE and AE independently or in combination, taking into account all known sampling biases. These tools were applied on new individual data, and on various available published data (two individual datasets, and all relevant aggregated data). Support for FBOE was apparent in aggregated data, with the FBOE increasing linearly with fertility. The FBOE was also supported in two individual datasets. An SBOE is generated when sampling in presence of FBOE, suggesting that controlling for FBOE is required to avoid artefactual SBOE. AE was not supported in individual datasets, including the analysis of the extended maternal family. The evolutionary implications of these findings are discussed

Reasons of Singles for Being Single:Evidence from Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan and the UK

The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants (N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one’s perceived inability to find the right partner, the perception that one is not good at flirting, and the desire to focus on one’s career. Significant sex and age effects were found for most factors. The extracted factors were further classified into three separate domains: Perceived poor capacity to attract mates, desiring the freedom of choice, and currently being in between relationships. The domain structure, the relative importance of each factor and domain, as well as sex and age effects were relatively consistent across countries. There were also important differences however, including the differing effect sizes of sex and age effects between countries

Parent-Offspring Conflict over Mating: Testing the Tradeoffs Hypothesis

The difference in genetic relatedness between parents and offspring results into traits such as beauty being more beneficial in a spouse than in an in-law. As a consequence, mate and in-law preferences do not overlap, and each party tends to prefer more the traits that give it more benefits. This paper tests the hypothesis that this divergence in preferences interacts with the tradeoffs nature of mating to give rise to parent-offspring conflict over mating. In particular, using a design where mate choice is constrained by a budget, three hypotheses are tested: First, asymmetries between in-law and mate preferences result in asymmetrical compromises in the choice of an in-law and a spouse. Second, the hypothesis is tested that when choice is constrained, disagreement spreads to traits where there is no divergence between in-law and mate preferences. Finally, it is hypothesized that there is a negative relationship between mate value and parent-offspring conflict over mating. Evidence from two independent studies in two different countries provides support for all three hypotheses