Research on Mate Selection Shows
That Settling for 'Mr. Right Now'
is better than waiting for 'Mr. Right.'
That Settling for 'Mr. Right Now'
is better than waiting for 'Mr. Right.'
And that if
we were raised in small communities we are more risk averse and more likely to
settle and find a mate. This makes sense to me. It indicates that if there
are more possible mates when we are growing up we think there are more fish in
the sea and it's harder for us to find someone we want to mate with for life.
Though it talks about how we grew up and I also think it explains why people
searching for a mate on dating sites like Match.com have a hard time meeting
someone they want to settle down with. The possibilities make them less risk
adverse.
Here is the
research from Science Daily News. I have yellow highlighted the interesting
sections.
Date: February
6, 2015
Source: Michigan
State University
Summary:
Evolutionary
researchers have determined that settling for 'Mr. Okay' is a better
evolutionary strategy than waiting for 'Mr. Perfect.' When studying the evolution
of risk aversion using a computational model of digital organisms, researchers
found that it is in our nature -- traced back to the earliest humans -- to take
the safe bet when stakes are high, such as whether or not we will mate.
How risk averse we are
correlates to the size of the group in which we were raised. If reared in a
small group -- fewer than 150 people -- we tend to be much more risk averse
than those who were part of a larger community.
It turns out that
primitive humans lived in smaller groups, about 150 individuals. Because
resources tend to be more scarce in smaller communities, this environment helps
promote risk aversion.
When
studying the evolution of risk aversion, Michigan State University researchers
found that it is in our nature -- traced back to the earliest humans -- to take
the safe bet when stakes are high, such as whether or not we will mate.
Credit:
© michaeljung / Fotolia
When studying the evolution of risk aversion, Michigan State
University researchers found that it is in our nature -- traced back to the
earliest humans -- to take the safe bet when stakes are high, such as whether
or not we will mate.
"Primitive humans were likely forced to bet on whether or
not they could find a better mate," said Chris Adami, MSU professor of
microbiology and molecular genetics and co-author of the paper.
"They could either choose to mate with the first,
potentially inferior, companion and risk inferior offspring, or they could wait
for Mr. or Ms. Perfect to come around," he said. "If they chose to
wait, they risk never mating."
Adami and his co-author Arend Hintze, MSU research associate,
used a computational model to trace risk-taking behaviors through thousands of
generations of evolution with digital organisms. These organisms were
programmed to make bets in high-payoff gambles, which reflect the life-altering
decisions that natural organisms must make, as for example choosing a mate.
"An individual might hold out to find the perfect mate but
run the risk of coming up empty and leaving no progeny," Adami said.
"Settling early for the sure bet gives you an evolutionary advantage, if
living in a small group."
Adami and his team tested many variables that influence
risk-taking behavior and concluded that certain conditions influence our
decision-making process. The decision must be a rare, once-in-a-lifetime event
and also have a high payoff for the individual's future -- such as the odds of
producing offspring.
How risk averse we are
correlates to the size of the group in which we were raised. If reared in a
small group -- fewer than 150 people -- we tend to be much more risk averse
than those who were part of a larger community.
It turns out that
primitive humans lived in smaller groups, about 150 individuals. Because
resources tend to be more scarce in smaller communities, this environment helps
promote risk aversion.
"We found that it is really the group size, not the total
population size, which matters in the evolution of risk aversion," Hintze
said.
However, not everyone develops the same level of aversion to
risk. The study also found that evolution doesn't prefer one single, optimal
way of dealing with risk, but instead allows for a range of less, and sometimes
more-risky, behaviors to evolve.
"We do not all evolve to be the same," Adami said.
"Evolution creates a diversity in our acceptance of risk, so you see some
people who are more likely to take bigger risks than others. We see the same
phenomenon in our simulations."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided
by Michigan State University. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1. Arend
Hintze, Randal S. Olson, Christoph Adami, Ralph Hertwig. Risk
sensitivity as an evolutionary adaptation. Scientific Reports,
2015; 5: 8242 DOI:10.1038/srep08242
Cite This Page:
Michigan State
University. "Settling for 'Mr. Right Now' better than waiting for 'Mr.
Right', shows model of digital organisms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6
February 2015. .
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
