The Mating Mind: Part One

A bold scenario that sheds light on many secrets of the human mind.

Our mind made it possible for us—alone among all living creatures on the planet—to build an incredible civilization, master the forces of nature, and even travel beyond Earth. And yet we know terribly little about why our ancestors became so smart. The very story of the evolutionary development of the brain holds many riddles. Why did wings arise independently at least four times during evolution, and why did the complex mind so necessary for survival belong only to humans? Why did technological development begin after the brain stopped growing? And why, in the end, did such strange things from the standpoint of survival struggle appear—humor, storytelling, abstract thinking, and art? Geoffrey Miller is sure: the answers to all these questions lie in the sphere of sexual selection, which has had—and continues to have—far more influence over us than is generally assumed.

The brain helped an ancient human climb to the top of the animal world and create a civilization that is completely unimaginable to all other inhabitants of our planet. Why this brain needs speed of reaction or the ability to store and process huge amounts of information is clear. But what survival advantage do humor, abstract thinking, or the ability to compose music provide? None of these qualities affect an individual’s ability to survive. After all, to kill a mammoth you don’t need to be able to draw it. To successfully pass the filter of natural selection, the brain could have been much less complex and sophisticated. So why did it become exactly like this? Scientists still argue about this question, putting forward new and new perspectives on the principle and history of the evolution of our mind. Some claim that brain characteristics such as the ability to create works of art are merely a side product of the main functions necessary for survival; others even consider art a “biological decoy” that doesn’t affect our evolutionary success in any way. Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller believes this is not true. Simply put: besides natural selection, sexual selection has had—no less, and sometimes even more—impact on the emergence and development of our species. Because it matters not only to become stronger and smarter than others, but also to pass these genes on to your offspring. And for that, you need to find a suitable partner—and, even more importantly, to appeal to that partner.