Mental Traits as Fitness Indicators: Expanding Evolutionary Psychology's Adaptationism

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06616.x
• Publication Date: 2010-07-20T17:21:00Z
• Authors: GEOFFREY MILLER
• Keywords: Evolutionary Psychology

According to most evolutionary psychologists, human psychological adaptations can be recognized by criteria such as high efficiency, complexity, modularity, low phenotypic variance, genotypic heritability, universality across cultures, and individuals. These are appropriate for that have been shaped through stabilizing selection survival utility. However, they often inappropriate sexual mate choice reliable signals of heritable fitness. If some evolved sexually selected fitness indicators this type, we should expect them violate many standard used psychology distinguish from non-adaptations. This paper addresses the problems raised new developments in theory animal signaling psychology's adaptationism. It suggests our adaptationist must recognize two typical kinds adaptations: naturally mechanisms indicators.