The Rational Animal: How Evolution Made Us Smarter Than We Think
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cultural explanation of, 144–145
described, and examples of, 143–144
different version of, 148–150
fast versus slow strategies and, 156–157
human history of, 145–146
mate-acquisition subself and, 154–155, 156–157, 158, 159, 174
multiple explanations for, 150–151
people’s own explanations for, 146–148
proximate reasons for, 158–159
sex differences in, 154–155, 159, 182–183
status subself and, 143–144, 148–150, 151
ultimate reasons for, exploring, 151–157, 158, 159
utility explanation of, 146
Conspicuous displays, reasons for, 152–154, 155, 157
Consumer Reports (magazine), 143, 149, 150
Consumerism. See Conspicuous consumption
Corporate economics
described, 55–56
home economics versus, 59–60
See also Market economics
Cosmetic surgery, 175
Cosmides, Leda, 107, 108, 109
Costello, Frank, 16
Counterfeit drugs, 201
Craig, Daniel, 215
Credit card debt, 179, 180–181
Curse of the Kennedys (Grady), 2, 4
Daly, Martin, 123, 124
Dangerous environments, influence of, on life history strategy, 134, 140
Dating guides, 89
Dating standards, 164
David, Larry, 147
Davis, Mike, 126
De Beers, 195–197, 198, 213
De Fraja, Gianni, 146
Death rates. See Mortality levels/rates
DeBruine, Lisa, 70–71
Debt, 117, 118, 138, 179, 180–181
See also Bankruptcy
Deception, experts at, 203
See also Parasitism
Decision making
alternate view of, 2–3
blinded by the modern world, 114–115
divisive debate over, 2, 7, 8
exercising control over, 212–213
most popular view of, 4, 209–210
taking time for, to avoid exploitation, 204–205
Deep rationality. See Evolutionary psychologist perspective
Defense and offense, importance of both, 86
Delaying gratification. See Slow strategy
Demand and supply, sexual, 179–182
Desire, manufactured, through marketing, 196–197
Developmental pyramid, climbing the, 42–44, 122
Developmental stages, 121–125
“Diamond is forever” slogan, 196–197
Diamond rings, 163, 167, 195–199, 204, 213
Diaz, Cameron, 147
DiCaprio, Leonardo, 147, 149–150, 208
Dingley, Nicholas “Razzle,” 138
Disease-avoidance subself
described, 34–36, 212
fulfilling the needs of, spending on, 189
hierarchy of needs and, 43
mating effort and, 123
parasites of, 199, 199–201, 201–203
parenting effort and, 125
pathogen detection system of, 83–84, 93
and the response to genetically modified food, 85–86
somatic effort and, 122
See also specific aspects related to the disease-avoidance subself
Disney, Roy E., 52, 59, 60, 73
Disney, Roy O., 51–52, 59, 60, 62, 72–73
Disney, Walt, 51–52, 59, 60, 62, 72–73, 208
Divorce, 94, 133, 172, 177, 178, 179
Doug E. Fresh (rapper), 126
Dowry, 162–163, 171–172
Drug companies, 199–201
Durante, Kristina, 13
Econs, people as, view focusing on. See Rational economist perspective
Eisner, Michael, 52, 59, 60, 64, 65, 72–73, 208
Ellis, Bruce, 134
Emperor’s Club, 161–162, 163, 167
Enemies, knowing your, 204
See also Parasitism
Entrepreneurism, age of, 125–128
Environment, childhood, influence of, on life history strategy, 134–137, 138–140, 140–141
Equality matching, 62, 63, 64
Errors/mistakes
calculated, 88
costly, built-in mechanism to avoid, 79–81
due to bias, 6–7, 73, 76, 78
evolutionary view of, 11
financial, 81–82, 118–119
fundamentally different types of, 80
logic, 97, 99
math, 102, 103
medical, 97, 98, 102
perceived as irrational, 4
sexual, avoiding, 166
that are not random, reasons for, 82
ultimate reasons for, perspective providing, 16, 20
and the way questions are presented, 99, 103, 114, 115
See also Bias
Evolutionary challenges, the need to solve, 30–32, 46, 76, 93, 94, 172
See also Ultimate reasons
Evolutionary psychologist perspective
contributions to, recognition of, 213–214
of loss aversion, 9–11
of man, as deeply rational, described, 7–9
theory provided by, 16
three lessons from, 209–213
See also specific ideas/concepts of evolutionary psychologists
Ewing, Patrick, 118
Exploitation
beneficial, 187, 189, 203
continuum of, 187–188, 194
harmful, 187
marketing strategies used in, 190–194
pervasiveness of, 185–186
See also Parasitism
Facebook, 36, 127
Fakes, spotting, 204
See also Parasitism
False alarms, 79, 80, 81, 88
False consensus bias, 76
False positives, 102
Family businesses
examples of, 51–52, 72–73
running companies like, 71–72, 211, 213
Family model. See Home economics
Fast strategy
attitude in, example of, 140, 141
and conspicuous consumption, 156–157
described, 118–119, 121
environmental factors leading to, 134–136, 137, 138, 139–140, 140–141
as a financial investment strategy, 130–131
genetic factor in, 133
high variance of, 137–138
mate-acquisition subself and, 154, 155, 156, 157
and sexual supply and demand, 181
slow strategy versus, 128–129
types of people following, 132–133
unrestricted, 156, 157
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 203
Fertility, indicator of, 168
Fessler, Dan, 36
Financial investments
risk aversion and, 45, 82
smoke detector principle and, 81–82
strategy in, types of, described, 130–131
testosterone levels and, 126
unusual, 129, 130
Financial mistakes, 81–82, 118–119
See also Bankruptcy; Debt; Exploitation; Gambling
Financial prospects, women’s preference for men with, 170–171, 173
Financial spending
dilemma over, 119
excess, avoiding, by knowing your subselves and evolutionary needs, 205
to fulfill fundamental needs, 189–190
See also Conspicuous consumption
Fiske, Alan, 61–62, 64
Fitness
defined, 8
enhancing, decisions leading to, 10, 20
inclusive, 56–58
Flashy/luxury items, reasons for purchasing. See Conspicuous consumption
Fluctuating environments, influence of, on life history strategy, 134–136, 137, 139–140, 141
Followers and leaders, 64, 65, 66
Forbes (magazine), 117
; Fortune (magazine), 71
Fowler, James, 92
Frank, Robert, 38
Friends, rules among, 62, 63
See also Affiliation subself
Gambler’s fallacy, 6, 7
Gambling, 124, 125–126, 129, 139, 182
See also Lotteries
Game theory
described, 53–56, 58
and home economics versus corporate economics, 59
and rules for different subselves, 60–67, 73
trust and, 69
Gangestad, Steve, 156
Garfield, James, 66
Garrow, David, 24
Gates, Bill, 38, 127
Gazzaniga, Michael, 25
Gender factors. See Men; Women
Genetically modified food, responses to, 75–76, 85–86
Gerety, Frances, 196
Giancana, Sam, 17
Gigerenzer, Gerd, 103–104
Gil-White, Francisco, 38
Goldstein, Noah, 28
Google, 127
Gordon Gecko (character), 3, 4
Gore, Al, 147, 150
Grady, Sandy, 4
Green products, status associated with, 148, 149, 150, 151
Griskevicius, Vlad, 215
Guttentag, Marcia, 179–180
Harrelson, Woody, 147
Harry Potter series, 215
Harton, Robyn A., 199
Harvard students, 95–96, 108–109
Haselton, Martie, 80–81
Hawking, Stephen, 38
Hellmuth, Phil, 125, 126
Hendrix, Jimi, 138
Henrich, Joe, 38
Henry VIII, 168–169
Hershberger, Scott, 58
Hierarchy of needs, 42, 43, 44
Hill, Kim, 36
Hill, Sarah, 176
Hindsight bias, 6, 7
Home economics
bringing, into market economics, 69–71
versus corporate economics, 59–60
described, 56–58
family businesses and, 51–52, 71–73, 211, 213
lesson about, 211
See also Kin-care subself
Homicides, 33, 57, 123–124, 134, 173, 179, 180
Hurtado, Magdalena, 36
Hybrid cars, reason for buying, uncovering, 147–149, 150–151
Hypocrisy, 48, 49
Immune systems, 83–84
Impulsivity. See Fast strategy
Inclusive fitness, 56–58
Inconsistency, 21, 24, 25–26, 29–30, 48, 49, 112–113
Infidelity, 179
Influence (Cialdini), 196
iPhones, 37
Irrational man. See Behavioral economist perspective
Irving, John, 6
Jealousy, 178–179
Jobs, Steve, 61, 62, 63–64, 65, 91, 93, 127
Johnson, Dominic, 91, 92
Johnson, Lyndon, 23–24
Jones, Brian, 138
Joplin, Janis, 138
Jordan, Brent, 14
Kahneman, Daniel, 5, 97, 111, 112, 113
Keefe, Rich, 168, 169
Kelleher, Herb, 71
Kennedy, David, 2
Kennedy, Jackie (Onassis), 155
Kennedy, John F., 2, 17, 66
Kennedy, John F., Jr., 2, 7
Kennedy, Joseph “Joe” Patrick, Jr., 2, 4, 7
Kennedy, Joseph “Joe” Patrick, Sr., 1–2, 3, 4, 7, 16–17, 19–20, 207
Kennedy, Michael, 2, 4, 17
Kennedy, Robert, 2
Kennedy, Teddy, 2, 4, 7, 17
Kenrick, Doug, 215
Khan, Genghis, 66–67
Killeen, Peter, 59
Kin-care subself
activating, and shifting rules of the game, 71, 72
and compatibility between subselves, 49
described, 41–42, 212
fulfilling the needs of, spending on, 190
hierarchy of needs and, 43, 44
mate-acquisition subself versus, 42
meeting needs of, without overspending, example of, 205
parasites of, 199
parenting effort and, 125
and rules of the game, 56–58, 62, 70, 72
and the trust game, 71
voluntarily waking up your, 213
See also specific aspects related to the kin-care subself
King, Larry, 118, 135–136, 138
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 21, 23–24, 48, 49, 72, 207–208
Kinship game, 56–58, 62, 70, 72
Kopechne, Mary Jo, 2, 17
Kurzban, Rob, 25, 26
Kwiat, 198
Labor relations, 69, 71
Lakshminarayanan, Venkat, 9
Large numbers paradox, 109–111, 113
Lautenberg, Frank, 186
Leaders and followers, 64, 65, 66
Lennon, John, 53, 61, 62, 63
Li, Jessica, 46
Li, Norm, 169–170
Life expectancy, 134, 138
See also Risk taking
Life history theory
described, 119–121
and financial decisions, age factor in, 125–128
stages in, 121–125, 141
strategies in, 121, 132–133, 134–135, 137, 140, 141
See also Fast strategy; Slow strategy
Life lessons, 209–213
Lifespan, 122, 129, 135
Limited resources, dilemma over, 119
Lincoln, Abraham, 66
LL Cool J (rapper), 126
Logic errors, 97, 99
Logic tests, 95–96, 97–98, 99, 106–107, 108–109
L’Oreal, 176
Loss aversion
described, 5, 9–11
reversing, 45–48
Lotteries, 129–130, 131, 136, 140, 141
Love, first professions of, sex differences in, 165–167
Luxury/flashy items, reasons for purchasing. See Conspicuous consumption
Madoff, Bernard “Bernie,” 186, 188, 203, 204, 209
Maher, Bill, 147
Maner, Jon, 19, 34
Marcos, Imelda, 192
Market demand, strategy to increase, 192–193
Market economics
bringing home economics into, 69–71, 72
and business, problem with, 68–69
corporations and, 55–56, 59
described, 67
lesson about, 211
mate-retention and, 176–177
and the rules of game theory, 55–56
See also Game theory
Market pricing, 56, 61–62, 62–63, 67–68, 69, 190–192
Market segmentation, traditional, 27
Marketers, described, 188–189
Marketing strategies, 190–194
Marriage
bride price for, 162–163, 171, 182
diamond rings and, 196, 197
and divorce, 94, 133, 172, 177, 178, 179
dowry for, 162–163, 171–172
jealousy in, 178–179
parenting effort and, 124, 125
standards for, 164, 167, 177–178
television reality shows with the goal of, 180
testosterone levels and, 125
Marsden, Michael, 149
Maslow, Abraham, 42
Mate preferences
of men, 168–169, 170, 171
of women, 170–171, 173
Mate-acquisition subself
advertising preferences of, 29–30
conspicuous consumption and, 154–155, 156–157, 158, 159, 174
described, 39–40, 212
fulfilling the needs of, spending on, 189–190
hierarchy of needs and, 43, 44
kin-care subself versus, 42
and loss aversion, 47–48
mate-retention subself versus, 41
mating effort and, 122, 123–124
men’s sex detectors and, 86–88, 93
parasites of, 196–197, 204
and rules of the game, 172–174
sex differences
in, 159
and tension between subselves, 49
women’s sex detectors and, 88–90, 93
See also specific aspects related to the mate-acquisition subself
Mate-retention subself
described, 40–41, 212
fulfilling the needs of, spending on, 190
hierarchy of needs and, 43, 44
mate-acquisition subself versus, 41
parasites of, 198
parenting effort and, 125
and rules of the game, 176–178
and tension between subselves, 49
See also specific aspects related to the mate-retention subself
Materialism, cultural explanation of, 144–145
See also Conspicuous consumption
Math errors, 102, 105
Math problems
difficulty with, 97–98, 101–103
and the large numbers paradox, 111
and the way questions are presented, 99, 103–105, 111–114
Mating effort, 121, 122–124, 125, 132, 133, 152–153
Mating game, 40, 68, 172–174, 176–178
Mating Mind, The (Miller), 39
Mating opportunities/success
conspicuous displays and, 153–154
different tasks of, 121
and the ovulatory cycle, 15
and risk taking, 17, 18, 19
sex detectors and, 86–88
See also Mating effort; Mating game; Parenting effort
Mating season, indicators of, 153, 154
Maximilian, Archduke, 195
MC Hammer (rapper), 117–118, 126, 133, 135–136, 138, 209
McCartney, Paul, 53, 61, 62, 63
McDonald’s french fries, response to, 85–86
McKernan, Ron “Pigpen,” 138
McKinley, William, 66
Mean Markets and Lizard Brains (Burnham), 81
Medical errors, 97, 98, 102
Men
bride price paid by, 162–163, 171, 182
and conspicuous consumption, 154–155, 159, 183
dowry given to the bride for, 162–163, 171–172
and first professions of love, 165–167
generous tipping and, 173, 174
homicide statistics and, 124
jealousy and, 178, 179
mate-acquisition game for, 173–174
mate-retention game for, 177–178
mating effort and, 122, 123
parenting stage and, 124, 125
paying for women escorts, 161–162, 167
as playboys, 89, 90, 156–157
preference of, for young beautiful women, 167–169, 170, 171, 173
ratio of women to, and sexual supply and demand, 179–182
risk taking and, 17–20, 173
sex detectors of, and the mate-acquisition subself, 86–88, 93
sexual economics and, 153, 163–164
standards of, for partners, 164–165, 167–169, 177–178
testosterone levels of, 18–19, 123, 125, 126, 127, 183
and their response to insults, 39
Menstruation, and age of onset, 134, 135
Mental errors. See Errors/mistakes