Why We Want to Do the Wrong Things

Thesis Humans are often motivated to select harmful or less than ideal actions Many of these poor choices are the result of biologically driven behaviors that are no longer adaptive in our current environments

Biology and Motivation Many motivations can be thought of as biological drives (Drive Theory) The hypothalamus is key in regulating drives through release of hormones – Eating – Aggression – Mating

Eating Behavior Many food preferences were adaptive for most of our evolutionary history With short life spans and scarcity of food, motivation was to find food, store calories – Binge eating – Tendency to store fat, especially under stressful conditions

Then and Now PreferenceThenNow SweetIncreased calories; energyWeight gain; diabetes SaltReplaced electrolytesHigh blood pressure FatIncreased calories; insulationWeight gain; heart disease CharredEasier to chew; killed bacteriaPossible carcinogen

Aggression Adaptive aspects of aggression: – Protect resources – Protect relatives – Establish social hierarchy – Deterrence

The Murder Instinct Aggression and violence occur throughout human history and prehistory Aggression and violence occur across cultures – The myth of the peaceful Samoans: violence against women who are not virgins when they marry; murder of adulterers – 90% or more of human cultures engage in warfare

Thinking vs. Doing In the U.S. and Europe (in recent history), about 2% of male deaths result from warfare If there is a biological drive toward murder, why not more? Across other cultures, as many as 60% of male deaths are from warfare About 3/4 of women and 9/10 of men admit that they have thought about killing someone

Mating Behaviors Frequency of sexual activity Age of first sexual activity Partner preferences: – Females: older men in higher authority positions, with more resources – Males: younger women with higher reproductive fitness

The Good News Biological drives influence desires but do not determine behavior Humans have a variety of biological instincts, some of which influence us to want to do the right things – Morality – Reciprocity – Altruism Our frontal lobes give us the ability to be flexible about which instincts we follow

Human Nature “ With violence, as with so many other concerns, human nature is the problem, but human nature is also the solution.” Steven Pinker (2002, p. 336) The Blank Slate