Title: Human Behavior and Evolutionary Psychology
Headings: How Evolutionary Psychology Explains Human Behavior
How Evolutionary Psychology Explains Human Behavior
Evolutionary Psychology Approach
5 Principles of Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioral Skills
How Evolution Explains Phobias
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Content: Human Behavior and Evolutionary Psychology
Phobias
How Evolutionary Psychology Explains Human Behavior
By
Lisa Fritscher
Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics. Learn about our editorial process
Lisa Fritscher
Medically reviewed by
Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on May 13, 2020
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Review Board
Steven Gans, MD
Updated on May 13, 2020
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Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
Background
5 Principles
Behavioral Skills
Phobias
Evolutionary psychology is a scientific discipline that approaches human behavior through a lens that incorporates the effects of evolution. It combines the science of psychology with the study of biology. Evolutionary psychologists seek to explain people's emotions, thoughts, and responses based on Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution Through Natural Selection, similarly to how evolutionary biologists explain an organism's physical features. 1 ﻿
Evolutionary Psychology Approach
Proponents of this psychological approach posit that as our ancestors confronted problems and developed ways of solving them, some had certain innate instincts and intelligence that gave them the ability to figure out and apply the most successful solutions. In doing so, they gained advantages, such as better health or a longer lifespan, allowing them to produce more offspring through the process of natural selection. According to evolutionary psychology, our ancestors who had psychological advantages passed down these behavioral traits to future generations, resulting in a population of offspring that then had these adaptive behaviors. 2 ﻿
Psychological abilities, such as reading others' intentions, making friends, and gaining trust, are known to help a person throughout life. Evolutionary psychologists believe that these skills are rooted in deeply complex neural circuits in the brain and that they are inherited.