Answered: Using the concept of Social Biology by…

Social Psychology (10th Edition)

10th Edition

ISBN:9780134641287

Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1RQ1

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Question

1. Using the concept of Social Biology by the Entomologist E.O. Wilson ,TRACE the evolution of the following:

A. Sex

B. Love

Expert Solution

Step 1

A. It is clear, though, that men could never have evolved a strong desire for sexual variety if no women ever showed an interest in such behavior. After all, making love requires two partners. Throughout the evolution of our species, therefore, some women, at least, must have been interested in variety, too. Evolutionary psychology suggests explanations such as these: By having multiple partners, women could gain valuable resources from them (e.g., food, gifts); alternatively, by having many lovers a woman could perfect her lovemaking skills and so, perhaps, replace her current mate with a more desirable one.

Biological evidence also suggests that some women have sought variety in their sexual partners. One such piece of evidence is the fact that human sperm are not all alike. Most are what can be described as “egg getters"—they race toward the egg to fertilize it. But other sperm have a different shape and can be described as "blockers"—their function seems to be that of blocking the sperm of other men. There would be no need for such sperm if all females were monogamous; so the fact that these "blockers" exist suggests that in the past, as now, some women did indeed have more than one lover at a time. Interestingly, the proportion of such “blocker" sperm rises when a man has been separated from his a mate for a long period of time, during which perhaps the woman has had other lovers.