Evolutionary psychology, economic freedom, trade and benevolence. John Levendis, Robert B. Eckhardt and Walter Block. Review of Economic Perspectives, Volume 19: Issue 2, Jun 26 2019. https://doi.org/10.2478/revecp-2019-0005
Abstract: Our thesis is that the reason many of us today are inclined toward socialism (explicit cooperation) and against laissez-faire capitalism (implicit cooperation) is because the first type of behavior was much more genetically beneficial during previous generations of our species. There is, however, a seemingly strong argument against this hypothesis: evidence from human prehistory indicates that trade (implicit cooperation) previously was widespread. How, then, can we be hard-wired in favor of socialism and against capitalism if our ancestors were engaged in market behavior in past millennia? Although trade which is self-centered and beneficial (presumably mutually beneficial to all parties in the exchange) did indeed appear hundreds of thousands of years ago, benevolence was established in our hard-wiring very substantially earlier, literally hundreds of millions of years ago, and is therefore far more deeply integrated into the hu-man psyche.
Keywords: Benevolence, capitalism, evolutionary psychology, hard-wiring, profit and loss, selfishness
JEL Classification: Z1, Z10, Z14
Friday, July 5, 2019
These correlational findings speak against the Pollyanna hypothesis: Happiness does not seem to preclude caring about local and global issues
Do happy people care about society’s problems? Kostadin Kushlev, Danielle M. Drummond, Samantha J. Heintzelman & Ed Diener. The Journal of Positive Psychology, Jul 4 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1639797
ABSTRACT: Since ancient times, scholars, individuals, and societies have been preoccupied with the pursuit of happiness. But might individual happiness actually be bad for society and the world? A common concern – which we refer to as the Pollyanna hypothesis – is that happy people might be too happy to care enough about important current issues, thus being less likely to act on improving society and the world. In three studies, however, we found that feeling good predicted more, not less, action on current issues. We saw this pattern in the context of the 2017 far right rallies in Charlottesville, VA (Study 1), a wide range of social, political, and environmental issues chosen by participants (Study 2), and environmental action within a nationally representative sample (Study 3). These correlational findings speak against the Pollyanna hypothesis: Happiness does not seem to preclude caring about local and global issues.
KEYWORDS: Happiness, helping/pro-social behavior, well-being, emotion
ABSTRACT: Since ancient times, scholars, individuals, and societies have been preoccupied with the pursuit of happiness. But might individual happiness actually be bad for society and the world? A common concern – which we refer to as the Pollyanna hypothesis – is that happy people might be too happy to care enough about important current issues, thus being less likely to act on improving society and the world. In three studies, however, we found that feeling good predicted more, not less, action on current issues. We saw this pattern in the context of the 2017 far right rallies in Charlottesville, VA (Study 1), a wide range of social, political, and environmental issues chosen by participants (Study 2), and environmental action within a nationally representative sample (Study 3). These correlational findings speak against the Pollyanna hypothesis: Happiness does not seem to preclude caring about local and global issues.
KEYWORDS: Happiness, helping/pro-social behavior, well-being, emotion
Monkeys did better than bonobos spitting water into a vertical tube to make a peanut float upwards until it comes into reach (floating peanut task; FPT); great apes require visual feedback for initially solving the FPT
Innovative problem solving in great apes: the role of visual feedback in the floating peanut task. Sonja J. Ebel, Martin Schmelz, Esther Herrmann, Josep Call. Animal Cognition, July 5 2019. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-019-01275-0
Abstract: Nonhuman great apes show remarkable behavioural flexibility. Some individuals are even able to use water as a tool: They spit water into a vertical tube to make a peanut float upwards until it comes into reach (floating peanut task; FPT). In the current study, we used the FPT to investigate how visual feedback, an end-state demonstration and a social demonstration affect task performance in nonhuman great apes in three experiments. Our results indicate that apes who had acquired the solution with a clear tube maintained it with an opaque one. However, apes starting with an opaque tube failed to solve the task. Additionally, facing the peanut floating on a water-filled tube (i.e., an end-state demonstration) promoted success independent on the availability of visual feedback. Moreover, experiencing how water was poured into the tube either by a human demonstrator or by a water tap that had been opened either by the ape or a human did not seem to be of further assistance. First, this study suggests that great apes require visual feedback for solving the FPT, which is no longer required after the initial acquisition. Second, some subjects benefit from encountering the end-state, a finding corroborating previous studies.
Keywords: Floating object task Innovation Primates Social learning Tool use
Abstract: Nonhuman great apes show remarkable behavioural flexibility. Some individuals are even able to use water as a tool: They spit water into a vertical tube to make a peanut float upwards until it comes into reach (floating peanut task; FPT). In the current study, we used the FPT to investigate how visual feedback, an end-state demonstration and a social demonstration affect task performance in nonhuman great apes in three experiments. Our results indicate that apes who had acquired the solution with a clear tube maintained it with an opaque one. However, apes starting with an opaque tube failed to solve the task. Additionally, facing the peanut floating on a water-filled tube (i.e., an end-state demonstration) promoted success independent on the availability of visual feedback. Moreover, experiencing how water was poured into the tube either by a human demonstrator or by a water tap that had been opened either by the ape or a human did not seem to be of further assistance. First, this study suggests that great apes require visual feedback for solving the FPT, which is no longer required after the initial acquisition. Second, some subjects benefit from encountering the end-state, a finding corroborating previous studies.
Keywords: Floating object task Innovation Primates Social learning Tool use
Reproductive Success, Relationship Orientation, and Sexual Behavior in Heterosexuals: Relationship With Chronotype, Sleep, and Sex
Reproductive Success, Relationship Orientation, and Sexual Behavior in Heterosexuals: Relationship With Chronotype, Sleep, and Sex. Ali Kasaeian et al. Evolutionary Psychology, July 4, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704919859760
Abstract: Following previous studies, chronotype was related to sexual attitudes and behavior. Evening people tend to be more promiscuous and follow short-term mating strategies and extra-pair matings (EPM), which might lead to a higher reproductive success. In this study, one aim was to assess reproductive success directly by asking for children, and, second, to obtain a higher sample size for the analysis of sexual behavior and chronotype than in previous studies. N = 1,843 heterosexual persons (551 men, 1,288 women, 4 without data) responded to our online survey. Five hundred fifty-nine persons were single and 1,281 in a relationship; 203 reported having children (1.9 ± 0.81). Age was positively related and age at first intercourse was negatively related to the number of children. People being later chronotypes had fewer children, and shorter sleep duration was linked with more children. Extroversion was correlated with number of children, as was the long-term relationship orientation. Sociosexual orientation and EPM were unrelated to number of children. Age at first intercourse was earlier in evening people, and unrestricted sociosexuality was higher in late chronotypes. Morning orientation correlated with long-term relationship orientation and eveningness with short-term relationship orientation. Number of sexual partners was lower in morning people. Men were more evening oriented, later chronotypes, and slept shorter. There were no differences in sociosexual behavior, but men were less restricted in attitude and desire. Men scored higher on short-term relationship orientation and women higher on long-term relationship orientation. This study confirmed previous results about chronotype and sexual behavior but provided the first evidence that morningness was related to higher reproductive success.
Keywords: chronotype, extroversion, morningness–eveningness, relationship orientation, sociosexuality
Abstract: Following previous studies, chronotype was related to sexual attitudes and behavior. Evening people tend to be more promiscuous and follow short-term mating strategies and extra-pair matings (EPM), which might lead to a higher reproductive success. In this study, one aim was to assess reproductive success directly by asking for children, and, second, to obtain a higher sample size for the analysis of sexual behavior and chronotype than in previous studies. N = 1,843 heterosexual persons (551 men, 1,288 women, 4 without data) responded to our online survey. Five hundred fifty-nine persons were single and 1,281 in a relationship; 203 reported having children (1.9 ± 0.81). Age was positively related and age at first intercourse was negatively related to the number of children. People being later chronotypes had fewer children, and shorter sleep duration was linked with more children. Extroversion was correlated with number of children, as was the long-term relationship orientation. Sociosexual orientation and EPM were unrelated to number of children. Age at first intercourse was earlier in evening people, and unrestricted sociosexuality was higher in late chronotypes. Morning orientation correlated with long-term relationship orientation and eveningness with short-term relationship orientation. Number of sexual partners was lower in morning people. Men were more evening oriented, later chronotypes, and slept shorter. There were no differences in sociosexual behavior, but men were less restricted in attitude and desire. Men scored higher on short-term relationship orientation and women higher on long-term relationship orientation. This study confirmed previous results about chronotype and sexual behavior but provided the first evidence that morningness was related to higher reproductive success.
Keywords: chronotype, extroversion, morningness–eveningness, relationship orientation, sociosexuality
The likelihood of smiles and the duration of smiles increased with age; attribute this to greater expression of positive emotion in older people; women smiled more than men over all
Faded Smiles? A Largescale Observational Study of Smiling from Adolescence to Old Age. Daniel McDuff & Stephanie Glass. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8735803/
Abstract: A relatively large body of work exists examining sex differences in expressiveness; however, there remains little research of differences in expressiveness associated with aging. Observational studies of facial expressivity across ages are limited in part due to the poor scalability of traditional research methods. We collected over 17,000 videos of natural facial behavior using the Internet and performed a large observational study of smiling responses of people ages 18 to 70 years. Using automated facial coding we quantified the presence of smiles as people watched a set of controlled mundane online content. The likelihood of smiles and the duration of smiles increased with age. We attribute this to greater expression of positive emotion in older people. Women smiled more than men over all and gender differences increased significantly with age. We question whether results may be influenced by the effect of age on the accuracy of the automated smile detection; however, validation on a large set of human coded videos shows that the observed effects were not due to smile detection performance.
Keywords: Smile Detection, Aging, Large-scale, Psychology
Abstract: A relatively large body of work exists examining sex differences in expressiveness; however, there remains little research of differences in expressiveness associated with aging. Observational studies of facial expressivity across ages are limited in part due to the poor scalability of traditional research methods. We collected over 17,000 videos of natural facial behavior using the Internet and performed a large observational study of smiling responses of people ages 18 to 70 years. Using automated facial coding we quantified the presence of smiles as people watched a set of controlled mundane online content. The likelihood of smiles and the duration of smiles increased with age. We attribute this to greater expression of positive emotion in older people. Women smiled more than men over all and gender differences increased significantly with age. We question whether results may be influenced by the effect of age on the accuracy of the automated smile detection; however, validation on a large set of human coded videos shows that the observed effects were not due to smile detection performance.
Keywords: Smile Detection, Aging, Large-scale, Psychology
Those who reported being hit on more often than hitting on others showed higher self-esteem scores, than those who reported being hit on fewer times relative to number of times hitting on others
Associations between Self-esteem and Experiences from Short-term Dating Contexts. Marthe Kristine Dingen. NTNU Psychology School, April 2019, https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2602701/Dingen,%20Marthe%20Kristine.pdf?sequence=1
Abstact: Sociometer theory holds that self-esteem is like a thermometer constantly monitoring our value as relational partners and how desired we are for social inclusion. Looking to sociometer theory we wanted to investigate the relationship between experiences from a short-term dating context and self-esteem. Based on predictions from sexual strategies theory we also asked the question of how this association may differ for men and women. Findings from the current study indicates that self-esteem in a Norwegian student population is, indeed related to experiences tied to short-term dating. Those who reported being hit on more often than hitting on others showed higher self-esteem scores, than those who reported being hit on fewer times relative to number of times hitting on others. The hypothesized sex-difference in effect is however not supported by the data, indicating that experiences from short-term dating is equally important for both men and women despite the existing sex difference in sexual strategies. Findings are discussed in light of Sociometer theory, previous researchon self-esteem and methodical limitations, as well as with regards to theoretical implications and implications for future research.
Abstact: Sociometer theory holds that self-esteem is like a thermometer constantly monitoring our value as relational partners and how desired we are for social inclusion. Looking to sociometer theory we wanted to investigate the relationship between experiences from a short-term dating context and self-esteem. Based on predictions from sexual strategies theory we also asked the question of how this association may differ for men and women. Findings from the current study indicates that self-esteem in a Norwegian student population is, indeed related to experiences tied to short-term dating. Those who reported being hit on more often than hitting on others showed higher self-esteem scores, than those who reported being hit on fewer times relative to number of times hitting on others. The hypothesized sex-difference in effect is however not supported by the data, indicating that experiences from short-term dating is equally important for both men and women despite the existing sex difference in sexual strategies. Findings are discussed in light of Sociometer theory, previous researchon self-esteem and methodical limitations, as well as with regards to theoretical implications and implications for future research.
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