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Related Concept Videos

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
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Types of Selection01:46

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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

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Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
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Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

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In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

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Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 6, 2026

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
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Humor and sexual selection.

Robert Storey1

  • 1Department of English, Temple University, 19122, Philadelphia, PA. rstorey@astro.temple.edu.

Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)
|July 21, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Humor may not have evolved through sexual selection as a signal of creativity. Evidence suggests humor primarily evolved for social bonding and group maneuverability, not mate attraction.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Geoffrey Miller proposed humor evolved via sexual selection, signaling creativity, youth, intelligence, and unpredictability.
  • This theory posits humor enhances mate attraction through displays of desirable traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the empirical evidence linking humor to creativity and sexual selection.
  • To investigate the underlying reasons for the perceived attractiveness of a "sense of humor".

Main Methods:

  • Review and analysis of existing empirical studies on humor and creativity.
  • Examination of the common understanding and application of the phrase "sense of humor".

Main Results:

  • The evidence for a strong link between humor and creativity is weak and ambiguous.
Keywords:
CreativityHumorSexual selection

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  • Support for humor's attractiveness being solely based on wittiness is tenuous.
  • The phrase "sense of humor" is often associated with non-witty, "bonding" laughter.

    • Conclusions:

    • Humor's evolution may be more strongly linked to facilitating social cohesion and group dynamics.
    • The hypothesis that humor evolved primarily through sexual selection lacks convincing empirical support.
    • Alternative evolutionary pathways for humor, such as social bonding, warrant further investigation.