Anthropomorphism and Anthropomorphic Selection—Beyond the "Cute Response"
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21127159 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James A Serpell (0000-0002-2826-1187, corresponding author), James Serpell |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 437-454 |
| Publication date | 2002-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Society and Animals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1063-1119 • E-ISSN: 1568-5306 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/156853002320936926 |
| OpenAlex | W4230689956 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 28 |
This article explores the origin and evolutionary implications of anthropomorphism in the context of our relationships with animal companions. On the human side, anthropomorphic thinking enables animal companions' social behavior to be construed in human terms, thereby allowing these nonhuman animals to function for their human owners or guardians as providers of nonhuman social support. Absence of social support is known to be detrimental to human health and well being. Therefore, anthropomorphism and its corollary, pet keeping, have obvious biological fitness implications. On the animal side, anthropomorphism constitutes a unique evolutionary selection pressure, analogous to sexual selection, which has molded the appearance, anatomy, and behavior of companion animal species so as to adapt them to their unusual ecological niche as social support providers. Although such species undoubtedly have benefited numerically from the effects of this process, the consequences of anthropomorphism are less benign when viewed from the perspective of individual animals. Indeed, anthropomorphic selection probably is responsible for some of the more severe welfare problems currently found in companion animals
Animal welfare · Biology · Cognitive psychology · Corollary · Evolutionary biology · Sexual selection · Computer Science · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence · Ecology
Te Whare Tapa Whā and Facebook
Affiliation, Acceptance, and Belonging
Happy Hens or Healthy Eggs – A Summative Content Analysis Of How Hens Are Represented In Supermarket Egg Boxes Narratives
Anthropomorphism
Consumer Reactions to Animal And Human Models in Print Ads
The Dog in Film
The Death of the Horse
As paisagens coexistenciais interespecíficas, ou sobre humanos e não-humanos compartilhando espaços domésticos numa cidade amazônica
De um Prosaico Coexistir Interespecífico aos Dilemas do Biopoder
Animating capital
Beyond the clearing
Family Member, Best Friend, Child or ‘Just’ a Pet, Owners’ Relationship Perceptions and Consequences for Their Cats
El antropomorfismo como herramienta de divulgación científica por televisión
An explanatory model, using self-determination theory, of the motivations for horse ownership
From livestock to families
The social construction of the value of wildlife
Can Friends be Copied? Ethical Aspects of Cloning Dogs as Companion Animals
Traveling with pets
Les relations anthropozoologiques à l'épreuve du travail scientifique. L'exemple de l'animal dans les pratiques de soin
The Influence of Cognitive Vulnerabilities and Attributions of Animal Sentience on Willingness to Own Pets
Are Brachycephalic Dogs Really Cute? Evidence from Online Descriptions
Invisible Animals
Walking Sole Mates
Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Substance Dependence
Relationship effects in psychological explanations of nonhuman behavior
In Praise of Dead Pets
Epidemiological Panel Studies of Older Adults
Does Human-Animal Similarity Lower the Need to Affirm Humans' Superiority Relative to Animals? A Social Psychological Viewpoint
| Unique citing works | 28 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 1970 - 2025 (56) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 27 |