Listen to 300+ podcasts by best-selling authors, published Wednesday, 4pm EST!

Evolutionary Psychology Tips

Read these 5 Evolutionary Psychology Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Psychology Degree tips and hundreds of other topics.

Evolutionary Psychology Tips has been rated 4.4 out of 5 based on 14 ratings and 1 user reviews.

Dr. David Buss

Dr. David Buss is an evolutionary psychologist at The University of Texas at Austin (http://www.utexas.edu/). He enjoys the study of behavior genetics where his books "The Evolution of Desire" and "The Murderer Next Door" explore sexual desire and homicide, respectively. His latest book is "Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)." In all his works, Buss describes the results of research for various aspects of mate selection, either good or bad. From why men and women pick their partners to how a murderer takes rejection poorly.
In the end, if you want to have sex with a woman, make sure you smell good. And, if you have homicidal fantasies, you are not abnormal. Just be sure not to live out the fantasies. That is where the lines cross between Buss’ research on human sex differences to his darker sides where conflict leads to death and destruction. This has led to his latest obsession with stalking where you want what you cannot have. Given his past research and book projects, this should lead to an interesting next title.

   
Since Evolutionary Psychology isn't a distinct psychology, can I study Evolutionary Psychology?

Sciences Related to Evolutionary Psychology

Some colleges and universities offer Evolutionary Psychology courses and some offer Psychology Degrees majoring in Evolutionary Psychology. The degree may be paired with a related area, such as Evolutionary Psychology and Ethology (the study of animal behavior), Ecology or Cultural Anthropology (the study of human culture from ancient times to the present and how it has evolved).

Evolutionary Psychology courses can often be taken as part of a Clinical, Research or Counseling Psychology Programs too. Some other sciences related to it that you might major in, and take some courses in Evolutionary Psychology for, also include; Sociology, Social Psychology, Biological Psychology, Neuropsychology and others.

   
What is Evolutionary Psychology?

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology refers to the distant biological heritage that still affects us cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally. It is more a term, rather than a distinct discipline within Psychology. Evolutionary Psychology may be used to explain such phenomena as the flight-or-flight response, as a popular example; a biological function inherited from our ancestors who sought to either fight with, or flee from, a saber-toothed tiger. As a Psychology, it is limited in scope since human thought, feelings and behaviors have likely become more complex over the eons. Yet, it is often considered to be an important aspect of understanding such questions as the nature of altruism, human aggression, gender roles and sexuality.

   
Is Evolutionary Psychology of any practical use within a Psychology career?

Practical Uses of Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology can help with understanding many areas of human behavior. Since it's also related to so many other psychologies and sciences, it can help with understanding those, too. As practical career examples, the study of aggression from an Evolutionary Psychology perspective would likely be of use by Forensic Psychologists and School Psychologists. The study of gender roles from an Evolutionary Psychology perspective might be of value in Feminist Psychology and Organizational Psychology practices. Another area of Evolutionary Psychology, the study of human sexuality, might be helpful in marriage and family, or couples, counseling. There may also be the opportunity of teaching Evolutionary Psychology courses, or including sections of it within certain courses, at the college level. There are many other applications as well.

   

Human Evolutionary Psychology and Pop Hits Of The Seventies

I don’t like spiders and snakes (and that aint what it takes to love me).

When Jim Stafford sang this in the seventies, he probably did not think he was observing human evolutionary psychology. The fear of spiders and snakes is an almost universal human trait and the fear being completely out of proportion to the danger is a very common. Scientists surmise this fear has evolved because of human adaptation.

Human evolutionary psychology is of course the study of nature versus nurture. Are environmental forces stronger than genetic predisposition is the question?
In other words, say your Uncle Joe gets a bit tipsy on occasion, is it because he is unhappy or because Grandfather got a bit tipsy on occasion?

Behavioral genetics is the study of how genetics influence animal behavior, of course this include humans since they are animals or were the last time I looked. The behavioral genetic leaning is toward Uncle Joe inheriting his love of strong drink from his father through a genetic predisposition that seems to be more prevalent in some families.

Nothing at all against all Uncle Joes in the world, your Uncle Joe is probably sober as a church mouse. Now Uncle Bob....that is a completely different story.

   
Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Psychology Degree Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Jolyn Wells-Moran
Buy My Book