Perspective: the evolution of hormones and person perception-a quantitative genetic framework
Christopher I Gurguis1, Tyler S Kimm1, Teresa A Pigott1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX, United States.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 2, 2024
Summary
Hormones significantly influence how we perceive others, impacting traits beyond sexual selection. Quantitative genetics offers a powerful, underused method to study these complex hormonal relationships and their evolutionary implications.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Behavioral endocrinology
- Quantitative genetics
Background:
- Person perception is often studied through sexual selection, but hormones regulate multiple traits, necessitating broader approaches.
- Univariate analyses are insufficient for understanding hormone-mediated trait suites.
- Current psychiatric genetics literature has assumptions that may affect findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present quantitative genetics as a framework for testing evolutionary hypotheses on hormones and person perception.
- To highlight the role of hormonal pleiotropy and correlational selection in shaping traits.
- To discuss the implications for understanding psychiatric disorders.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on hormones, person perception, and evolutionary biology.
- Application of quantitative genetics principles to hormone-mediated trait suites.
- Focus on estrogen as an exemplar hormone.
Main Results:
- Hormonal pleiotropy creates tradeoffs and correlational selection within trait suites.
- Conflicts between sexual and natural selection can arise in hormone-mediated suites.
- Estrogen exemplifies the complex role of hormones in perception, disorders, and reproduction.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative genetics is crucial for understanding the evolution of person perception and hormone-mediated traits.
- Addressing tacit assumptions in psychiatric genetics is vital for accurate interpretation.
- Further empirical quantification of selection is needed to understand psychiatric disorders.
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