Evolutionary needs

Explanations > Needs > Evolutionary needs

Staying alive | Finding a mate | Nurturing our young | So what?

One of the basic and perhaps most degrading tenets of Darwinian evolution which was expounded by Richard Dawkins in 'The Selfish Gene' is that we are little more than 'gene machines'. Seen from a fundamentalist evolutionary sense, our sole purpose in life is to propagating our genes, and our needs are honed to relentlessly drive us in this direction.

Staying alive

The first step towards procreation is in staying healthy and alive. This means finding food and shelter and, if necessary, beating other people in order to get it.

Finding a mate

Once we are reasonably secure, the next step towards procreating our genes is finding a mate (and doing the deed, of course).

For this, we again may need to beat off other suitors, or at least impress our potential partners sufficiently that they choose to mate with us rather than our genetic competitors.

The fact that the male is larger than the female is a common sign that humans are naturally a male-dominated society. The larger male is not only better able to fight off other males, but they are also able to keep women in their place. The force of genetics sadly does not know about Political Correctness. 

What men want 

Men and women look for different things in their partners. Men look for women who seem likely to be able to bear plenty of strong children. They thus look for women who:

• are young and healthy and have many childbearing years ahead of them.
• have large breasts for feeding their children.
• have wide hips so they will not have delivery problems.

Men are also easily fooled by symbolism such as red lipstick that reminds them of a full vagina and make-up that fills in the cracks and makes the woman look younger than she is.

Men are not monogamous by nature, and a man will happily have children with many women, as this spreads his seed around and increases the chances of successful propagation of his genes.

What women want

Women are not like men. A major difference is that they are generally left to bring up the children, giving them ten to twenty years of work after their debilitating nine months of pregnancy. They thus look for men who:

• are strong and powerful and can feed and protect them and their children.
• are kind and thoughtful and will stay with them.

Women thus will settle for older men who have gained affluence and position in society and who may be less likely to stray. They fight other women not with strength, but with cunning and carefully-placed words (which they also use to great effect with men).

Women are not predisposed to sleep around, as the result cannot be hidden from their mates and having too many children may kill them or otherwise reduce the chances of their children surviving.

Nurturing our young

It is no good having children if we then let them die before they can pass their genes on to their children. We thus are motivated to look after our children at least until they can fly the nest. This can be a difficult transition, but nature again has provided the answer in adolescence, where our teenagers push back so hard and often that we are relieved to see them set out on their own!

The next generation

Being a grandparent is a very satisfying thing, as you now have proof that your genes have been passed on and that the responsibility for their propagation can now be handed back to your children whenever you get a bit tired.

So what?

Sex sells. This is because it appeals to this most basic of needs. Use sexy women to sell to men and powerful men to sell to women. Create tension by showing the opposite sex being won away by another person. Show perfect bodies and promise 'you, too, can have a body like this'.

Children sell too. Awaken nurturing instincts by showing their innocence and vulnerability. 

See also

The CIN Needs Model