A link between altruism and sexual selection

Genetic influence on altruistic behaviour and mate preference towards it

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9620685
AutoresTim Phillips (0000-0002-5349-6324, University of Nottingham, autor correspondente), Eamonn Ferguson (0000-0002-7678-1451, University of Nottingham), Fruhling Rijsdijk (0000-0003-4762-2803, Psychiatry Research Trust)
Ano2010
Volume101
Fascículo4
Páginas809-819
Data de publicação2010-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1348/000712610x493494
PMID20334734
OpenAlexW1973847750
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas49

Altruistic behaviour raises major questions for psychology and biology. One hypothesis proposes that human altruistic behaviour evolved as a result of sexual selection. Mechanisms that seek to explain how sexual selection works suggest genetic influence acting on both the mate preference for the trait and the preferred trait itself. We used a twin study to estimate whether genetic effects influenced responses to psychometric scales measuring mate preference towards altruistic traits (MPAT) and the preferred trait (i.e., ‘altruistic personality’). As predicted, we found significant genetic effects influencing variation in both. We also predicted that individuals expressing stronger MPAT and ‘altruistic personality’ would have mated at a greater frequency in ancestral populations. We found evidence for this in that 67% of the covariance in the phenotypic correlation between the two scales was associated with significant genetic effects. Both sets of findings are thus consistent with the hypothesized link between sexual selection and human altruism towards non‐kin. We discuss how this study contributes to our understanding of altruistic behaviour and how further work might extend this understanding

Altruism (biology) · Big Five personality traits · Biology · Developmental psychology · Evolutionary biology · Mate choice · Personality · Preference · Selection (genetic algorithm) · Sexual selection · Trait · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Genetics · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology