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1-Page Summary of The Moral Animal
Overview
What is morality? It’s often described as treating others like you’d want to be treated, or the golden rule. However, it’s not really free choice – it’s a decision that people make. But how much of this is true?
Evolutionary psychologists believe that morality is not instinctive. They say that we can only really understand it by looking at the evolutionary development of humans. Dig deep enough, and you’ll see how our most cherished ideals serve a more instrumental purpose – ensuring survival and the propagation of genes.
When evolutionary psychology first started, it was a pretty controversial discipline. Nowadays, there’s plenty of data showing its claims are true, and Robert Wright’s The Moral Animal is a perfect example of that. Whether you’re looking at hunter-gatherer societies in Peru or the behavior of primates or modern humans, accounts focusing on evolution explain everything from sibling rivalry to jealousy and altruism.
This passage will cover why men and women experience different types of envy, why families favor girls or boys based on social status, and what we can learn about dominance from chimpanzees.
Big Idea #1: Intelligence, youth and beauty are attractive attributes because they indicate an ability to bear and care for children.
Men are known to be unfussy when it comes to casual sex. They’ll have sex with just about anyone if the answer is “yes.” However, finding a long-term partner is a different story.
The American sociobiologist Robert L. Trivers has said that men are not choosy about their sexual partners, but women definitely are when it comes to long-term relationships. He based this on a study he conducted in which most participants stated that potential mates had to demonstrate above average intelligence for them to be considered as such.
Evolutionary psychology explains that men are looking for a woman who will be able to take care of his children and provide them with the best chance at survival. Therefore, they look for signs that she is intelligent and competent. This isn’t something men do consciously; it’s an unconscious calculation designed to ensure the survival of their offspring.
That said, intelligence isn’t the only characteristic that men are attracted to; youth and beauty are important as well. A 1989 study by evolutionary psychologist David Buss found that these characteristics indicate fertility in women.
The key to understanding the differences between men and women is that it’s all about passing on one’s genes. Men want to have children with as many partners as possible, because their genetic makeup will live on in future generations.
Big Idea #2: Jealousy is multifaceted and differs between men and women.
People generally consider jealousy to be a negative trait. Some people even rule out relationships with anyone who demonstrates jealous tendencies. However, evolutionary psychologists believe that feeling jealous is natural and beneficial for survival purposes.
While jealousy is experienced by both sexes, it’s not the same experience. In fact, men and women have different forms of jealousy. This was proven in a 1982 study done by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson that used electrodes to measure physiological responses when asked about their partners with other people of the opposite sex.
A study was conducted to determine how men and women react differently to infidelity. The results showed that men were not as bothered by the idea of their wives having a platonic relationship with another man, while women reacted much more strongly to this scenario than they did if their husbands had sexual relations with another woman.
