The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human NatureAt once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, a book that offers the most convincing—and radical—explanation for how and why the human mind evolved. Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’ s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’ s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking, The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Darwins Prodigy | 33 |
The Runaway Brain | 68 |
A Mind Fit for Mating | 99 |
Ornamental Genius | 138 |
Courtship in the Pleistocene | 177 |
Bodies of Evidence | 224 |
Arts of Seduction | 258 |
Virtues of Good Breeding | 292 |
Cyrano and Scheherazade | 341 |
The Wit to Woo | 392 |
Other editions - View all
The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature Geoffrey Miller Limited preview - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
ability adaptations advertise aesthetic ancestors animals apparent attractive beauty become behavior benefits better biological biologists body brain called capacities competition consider costs courtship creativity cultural Darwin developed differences display effects energy evidence evolution evolutionary evolved example explain favor female fitness indicators function genes genetic give happen heritable hominid human human evolution idea important individuals intelligence interest kindness language living look male mate choice means mental mind moral mutations natural selection offspring origins parents Perhaps physical play pleasure Pleistocene possible predict preferences primates principle probably problem produce psychology reason reciprocity relationships relatives reproductive runaway seems sense sensory sex differences sexual choice sexual ornaments sexual partners sexual reproduction sexual selection shaped signals social species status strategy suggests tails tend theory traits understand University usually verbal women